Bevel set with new USB microscope

[bernie01]

I received a USB Digital Microscope today. It's arrival was very timely, as I had just finished watching this video by Joe Calton on how to set
a bevel for beginners:

The microscope came from China in 11 days: 5MP USB 300x Digital Microscope Endoscope, 8 White LED Lights Built-in, USB 2.0 Interface, Compatible with Windows Series, OS, Portable Digital Laboratory Microscopes : Amazon.com.au - https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B09FSLD92N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The scope was all that I had hoped before, it has up to 5Mp resolution for the photos it can take, and up to 300x magnification (well, maybe). It came well packaged
and I had the software installed and the scope up and running within 5 - 10 minutes. I wasted no time testing it by viewing and photographing the edge I had just put on the
Invicta, a bevel set at 1K and then onto 3K (both Suehiro hones). After playing with the scope a bit I put the razor through my 8K Shapton then 12K Naniwa.
So these are the photos at each level:

After Suehiro 1K/3K

After Shapton 8K

After Naniwa 12K

I'm still playing around to get the best photos, but these I'm happy with. The scope is not perfect; the clear perspex cone on the bottom is right on the blade when using max magnification.
I may shorten or remove that to get around that issue. It hits the spine rather than the bevel. Also, when using the height adjustment knob, the camera tils left a little bit as you go up
and then straightens up when you go down. Not a big deal, but it makes exact focussing a little harder. The leds have adjustable brightness and again I need to try different settings but too bright and the pic washes out, too dull and the bevel is not clearly seen.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with it and it has already paid off as I examined a different razor, a Dovo, that I had practiced on before that looks like this:

Clearly I had not removed all the scratches of preceding stones as I progressed. It didn't shave well either, now I know why! I do have a 10x loupe but I'm not experienced enough
to understand what I'm seeing with it, hopefully with this scope as well as the loupe I can correlate between the two. Comments on the bevel welcome!

 

[bernie01]

My mistake, I repeated the 12K photos and missed the 8K one, was very similar though!
I didn't really need a shave today, but couldn't resist. It was terrific, one of the best straight razor shaves I've ever had.
Very happy with my purchase and my honing, and thanks to Joe!
Here's the correct 8K photo:

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Nice micrograph photos and nice honing.

Your razor is a cell rot victim and the damage to the steel is deep. Those black spider webs in your 12k photos are damaged/rusted steel deep in the bevel and at the edge.

Likely it will not hold an edge long after repeated stropping. But a good candidate to learn your stones and camera on.

Did you raise a burr?

Jointing the edge after each stone will clean up the edge and make it straighter as will stropping between stones. If you strop off the burr it will just break it off to an uneven edge.

Nice even honing pattern, but don’t raise a burr, you are just wasting steel.

Carlton is a knife guy that insist on honing a razor like a knife, raise a burr. Can it be done, is it the best method?

Don’t know why he keeps making these videos about how easy it is to hone a razor. How would you like to shave with that razor in the video?

 

[lightfoot]

I’ve been exploring Joe’s burr method recently. Very good results. There are specific and easy to understand stopping points in his approach.

 

[bernie01]

Yes, I raised a burr, I guess it wastes steel but hopefully won't need to be done too often. I'll keep an eye on the bevel after it's been used and see how it stands up. This razor only cost me AUD$20 (about US$12) so it wasn't a big investment and perfect to learn the craft on. Not sure what you mean by jointing (I'll search on it here) but after raising a burr on each side alternately I did a 20/10/5/2 edge leading stroke (each side) progression to clean up the burr. That is, 20 strokes each side, then 10 each side, etc.. Only stropped after the 12K, used lots of water on all the stones to keep clear of swarf etc. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

E.M. Dickinson Invicta (Sheffield)

 

[lightfoot]

Yes, I raised a burr, I guess it wastes steel but hopefully won't need to be done too often. I'll keep an eye on the bevel after it's been used and see how it stands up. This razor only cost me AUD$20 (about US$12) so it wasn't a big investment and perfect to learn the craft on. Not sure what you mean by jointing (I'll search on it here) but after raising a burr on each side alternately I did a 20/10/5/2 edge leading stroke (each side) progression to clean up the burr. That is, 20 strokes each side, then 10 each side, etc.. Only stropped after the 12K, used lots of water on all the stones to keep clear of swarf etc. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

E.M. Dickinson Invicta (Sheffield)

So there is an idea out there that raising a burr wastes steel but I cannot agree with this. I suspect this opinion is held by those that haven’t tried it.
The alternative is exponentially more wasteful I’m afraid. Without clear stop signs in the process honing way beyond what’s needed is almost guaranteed with the exception of the most seasoned honers.
In Joe’s approach you raise a burr with half-strokes then stop.
Hone past the angled striations (spine-leading) created earlier with perpendicular striations at weight-of-the-blade pressure and stop.
This is repeated at each stone and it guarantees you’re basically honing the minimum required steel IMHO.

 

[bernie01]

The method known as "The Method" which seems to have plenty of advocates here uses the burr raising procedure I believe.
I like the fact that there is little doubt that the bevel has been set, and tend to agree with the comment above by @lighfoot.
I've got 6 straights, 9 DE's and only one face, only shave 3 times per week, so doubt I'm going to wear anything out in a hurry.

 

[lightfoot]

Nice micrograph photos and nice honing.

Your razor is a cell rot victim and the damage to the steel is deep. Those black spider webs in your 12k photos are damaged/rusted steel deep in the bevel and at the edge.

Likely it will not hold an edge long after repeated stropping. But a good candidate to learn your stones and camera on.

Did you raise a burr?

Jointing the edge after each stone will clean up the edge and make it straighter as will stropping between stones. If you strop off the burr it will just break it off to an uneven edge.

Nice even honing pattern, but don’t raise a burr, you are just wasting steel.

Carlton is a knife guy that insist on honing a razor like a knife, raise a burr. Can it be done, is it the best method?

Don’t know why he keeps making these videos about how easy it is to hone a razor. How would you like to shave with that razor in the video?

So I had some difficulty with his technique for a while. I reached out to him and explained that I kept getting a foil edge and that it was generally weak and fragile. I guess he could tell I was doing two things wrong.
1- too much pressure
2- too large of a burr
I dropped my pressure down to medium or just a bit less with the 1/2 strokes and I was really taken back just how fast I could raise a minimum burr just for the sake of confirmation.
Then I honed off this barely detectable burr with spine-leading strokes at WOB just long enough to replace the prior scratch pattern but this is handled on the same stone. But at that point I found it critical to stop immediately and move to the next stone and repeat. Unfortunately continued effort past that point is likely to produce a foil which is precisely what we’re all trying to avoid. But once I got the required calibration together I was really in disbelief at how effective this approach could be when we’ll executed.

 

[Herrenberg]

I can't see it for sure in the 1K/3K photo, but it's easy to see in the 8K photo: you have not reached the edge all the way along the bevel, and moved on to finer stones too soon. It is the most common mistake of new honers, and it took me a long time to get past it.