I don’t use a loupe anymore but I did when I started freehand sharpening knives. I would suggest something in the 20X to 40X range. Higher magnification is better, but they are harder to keep in focus. I’d guess by now there’s probably a great YouTube video on how to use a loupe properly.
The loupe helps you see what’s happening with the scratch pattern on each bevel. The pattern should be even from the top of the bevel to the edge and be consistent from heel to toe on both sides of the razor.
The edge should look like a straight line but might look a little saw-toothed at 1K.
Refinement should be obvious as you move from coarse to fine abrasives.
I got a 30x loupe, and I can clearly see the striation marks on the edge - neat! It’s probably not that surprising, since I went from the 1k directly to the 12k. Next time I 'll do better, but even so, it’s usable.
Glad to hear it! I struggled with loupes at first.
Generally, you want to use the 1K only for razors that need the bevel set. In that circumstance you might go from 1K to 4K followed by 12K or 1K, 4K, 8K, 12K if you have the stones. If the bevel is already set, dropping back to 4K or 8K followed by your 12K finisher should be all you need.
The 30x loupe works well for me, but I have also a 60x and a 90x loupe in the same contraption - where I’m not even sure whether it reverses the Image or not 😱
The razor looks very nice!
I don’t use a loupe anymore but I did when I started freehand sharpening knives. I would suggest something in the 20X to 40X range. Higher magnification is better, but they are harder to keep in focus. I’d guess by now there’s probably a great YouTube video on how to use a loupe properly.
The loupe helps you see what’s happening with the scratch pattern on each bevel. The pattern should be even from the top of the bevel to the edge and be consistent from heel to toe on both sides of the razor.
The edge should look like a straight line but might look a little saw-toothed at 1K.
Refinement should be obvious as you move from coarse to fine abrasives.
I got a 30x loupe, and I can clearly see the striation marks on the edge - neat! It’s probably not that surprising, since I went from the 1k directly to the 12k. Next time I 'll do better, but even so, it’s usable.
Glad to hear it! I struggled with loupes at first.
Generally, you want to use the 1K only for razors that need the bevel set. In that circumstance you might go from 1K to 4K followed by 12K or 1K, 4K, 8K, 12K if you have the stones. If the bevel is already set, dropping back to 4K or 8K followed by your 12K finisher should be all you need.
The 30x loupe works well for me, but I have also a 60x and a 90x loupe in the same contraption - where I’m not even sure whether it reverses the Image or not 😱
Ok, I’ll try that!