Thread: Scanning electron microscopy and straights.

Originally Posted by rosscollins3

It's just improper english. Ya'll in the UK speak much better than us Americans.

Ross, you are quite correct.

Thanks for posting your pictures they are really interesting. Please keep them coming, there is a lot we can all learn from them.

Fantastic pictures!

Hope we'll see pictures of edge polished on finishing stone(s), chrome oxide, canvas, leather.

Thanks.

Mckie

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

what i mean by saying early message.
i mean to see edge 2000x or 5k will not teach you anything . As by such a huge magnification you will not see the edge. You will be able to see just small point of it. doesn't matter you check whole edge or what else you do. it is such huge magnification will mislead you.
Now if you are trying to hone blade you should go at least 8k level. even then by using 200ox you will see every small line in there

Think this way. if you check hair on 2000x magnification you will see instead of hair a big HUGE TREE.
I HOPE this clears my thoughts.
But if you use 100x and check the edge then your will get a lot more benefit from it.
again this is just my thoughts.

While I am not entirely sure what the OP means by removing the 2um scratches or whatnot, I can say this: The close up edge of the razor is very interesting because we can see things so small no optical microscope cannot detect. There is an ongoing debate as to what exactly stropping does and why it works. No one knows for sure, we all have theories. By getting more data on the edge before and after stropping, we can better understand what it is that stropping does.

Does it remove burrs left over from the honing process? Does it actually remove metal and sharpen the very edge? Does it remove corrosion? Does it strip an molecular layer away, giving us fresh metal? Does it realign the bevel?

I don't know, but I'm interested in finding out.




To the OP: If you need more razors to test, I am more than willing to donate some to experiment on. Same rules as Jimmy, I want them back once the tests are over.

I can even send over razors that have been used x amount of time with no stropping in between and a razor fresh off the hones. Then you can strop it and see before and after pics. But, you'd of course have to post pics for us.

yes it looks very interesting and if I was doing a scientific paper on honing it would be just what I need. However, I don't want to seem rude but I manage just fine with my 36x hand lens. I can see all I need to see with it. I sometimes think we can get carried away with all this stuff.

But great photography anyway.

Thanks for the pictures, I love looking a stuff in super high magnification!

Originally Posted by rosscollins3

It's just improper english. Ya'll in the UK speak much better than us Americans.

no, you missed my point.

The point was, if it's a fine shaver - does there really need to be any more questioning? Is that not enough?

Sometimes, by seeking out perfection, you loose a lot more than you gain.

Like I said, maybe it's just me.

You could make a few bucks on that SEM, if you do analysis of different natural hones and their effect on equivalent razor steel.

I will send you some slurry from an Escher, a Japanese, a few Thuringians, and a few coticules for particulate comparison... free of charge, just to get you started!

seriously though: You could really shed some light on the coticules vs thuringians vs Japanese et al debates.

You would be FAMOUS!

Well, I for one think this is great. I've also been hoping that at some point a member would surface with access to an SEM. Please don't go away! We've got to think of some ways that you could as others have said, answer some unanswered questions for us!

I'd like to see what an ATS-34 edge that is considered by the owner and contributor to be a great shaving edge looks like in comparison to a vintage carbon steel edge that is also considered by an owner to be a great shaver.

Can anyone else think of unanswered questions that would be great to be answered by the closer look an SEM can provide?

Thanks again for posting these pics. Great stuff.

Chris L

Jeez, lot's of replies, I'm waiting for a Scanning Tunnelling microscope that lets you arrange atoms, They will be used in Nanotechnology, Then I won't have to hone my blades at all! .

Originally Posted by zib

Jeez, lot's of replies, I'm waiting for a Scanning Tunnelling microscope that lets you arrange atoms, They will be used in Nanotechnology, Then I won't have to hone my blades at all! .

Well, it's been about 20 years since IBM manipulated Xenon atoms to spell out their name. It's high time they got round to building some of those nanite doohickeys to do some useful stuff. I can think of no more important and achievable task than sharpening razors.
Come on IBM! You provide the nanites and I'll bring the strop to sprinkle them on!