Magnifiers for Sharpening
#11
I have used a 15x lighted loupe for several years when sharpening. I like to see what's happening when I'm sharpening. Anyway, it broke and when looking at alternatives, I found this on Amazon. It has 30x and 60x loupes and it uses LED lighting. For only $3.55, how could I go wrong? Well, it works great! Comes with a little plastic cover as well. For that price, I bought two. One stays inside the house and the other is in my shop. I have no financial interest in this - just wanted to pass along there are very inexpensive alternatives.



Leegoal Lighted Magnifier
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#12
Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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#13
Arlin Eastman said:


Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin




For someone who professes ignorance of sarcasm and, .....

Maybe, fix it by feel....
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#14
I'm on one! Two. Maybe, three ... If I lose any.

Thanks!
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#15
hbmcc said:


[blockquote]Arlin Eastman said:


Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin




For someone who professes ignorance of sarcasm and, .....

Maybe, fix it by feel....


[/blockquote]



Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
Reply
#16
Arlin Eastman said:


Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin



Arlin

For those of us with less than young eyes, these can be very helpful,

For cutting tools (chisels, plane blades, turning gouges, turning skews, etc), you look at where the edge should be in a good light. If you see a bright line where the edge is, then the edge is dull. If it is dull, then the "fix" is to sharpen it.

For bench or card scrapers, you can examine the edge after jointing to see that the scraper is properly squared up. Then you can use the magnifier to examine the hook coming off the burnisher.

For a turning scraper, you can use the magnifier to examine the hook coming off the grinder.

With experience, you will learn what the hook shape that works for you looks like on the different types of scrapers.

There are some turners who like to remove the hook from the grinder and pull their hook with a burnisher, but I am not sure that I have ever met one of them. I have seen some production turners "freshen" the hook on their scraper with a burnisher or a diamond card between trips to the grinder. It seems like they tend to be in the drop-point scraper camp (IIRC).

Ivan
"the most important safety feature on any tool is the one between your ears." - Ken Vick

A wish for you all:  May you keep buying green bananas.
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#17
Arlin Eastman said:


[blockquote]hbmcc said:


[blockquote]Arlin Eastman said:


Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin




For someone who professes ignorance of sarcasm and, .....

Maybe, fix it by feel....


[/blockquote]



Arlin


[/blockquote]

Don't feel like you're alone in this Arlin.

When I read responses like the one you got I just scratch my head.
See ya around,
Dominic
------------------------------
Don't you love it when you ask someone what time it is and to prove how smart they are, they tell you how to build a watch?
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#18
I don't use a magnifier on turning tools. Unless it's a skew, you're just not getting down to fine enough grit to see much of anything under magnification. I use a 1000 grit stone as the last step on my skews, but I just feel for the burr vs. using the magnifier.

For chisels and plane blades (and even knives), I use the magnifier to see when scratches from the previous grit have been removed. I also look for damage to the edge. Sometimes, there are chips off the edge that you can't see with the naked eye. If you sharpen freehand, you can alternate the direction of sharpening 90 deg for each grit. That way, it's easier to see when the scratches from a previous grit have been removed. If you sharpen something straight from the factory, it usually has striations or scratch marks left behind from grinding. I sharpen until these have been removed, either by my highest grit stone or by stropping.

Using a magnifier is also useful to gauge your expertise at sharpening. You can see if you've dubbed or rounded over an edge. You can compare what you feel or eve hear when sharpening to how it looks under magnification. Yes, it is quite possible to use other senses to determine progress during sharpening. The ultimate test, of course, is how well the blade cuts.

I used this particular magnifier when using a Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition knife sharpener. I not only noticed the difference between what I was capable of doing freehand, or with my Spyderco Sharpmaker, but the cuts the knife left when cutting paper were markedly better.


Arlin Eastman said:


Allan

Should I be getting one to see what the turning tools look like?

What do you look for and if you did not like what you seen how would you fix it?

Arlin


Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#19
Before you see a fudge in the road and take it, know that no offense was ever intended in my earlier remarks. I am anxious to share humor and see it in everyone.

Until I lose sight of the magnifying loupes I just ordered.... ciao.
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#20
I am thinking it will be years before I would need something like that. Right now I am just glad I get it sharp.

I am thinking this is more then I want to deal with and I am just for the enjoyment not the hard figuring out things.

Hope you know what I mean nothing bad just more than I can handle.

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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