Thread: Got the USB Microscope

How about this? Is this more the like the kind of magnification we're looking for?

Originally Posted by Cornelius

How about this? Is this more the like the kind of magnification we're looking for?

That's more like what I'm used to seeing. Did you figure out how to vary the magnification?

Those shots are pretty good, much better than I get using a microscope adapter on my camera (lighting is my problem.) For the price those USB microscopes are fantastic. Have to be careful which you buy, the specs vary a lot.

BTW don't bother with digital zoom except for getting a convenient sized live picture. All it does is crop the image then resize using interpolation, it doesn't reveal any more detail (if anything it loses some.) You are better off cropping and resizing in a graphics package.

Microscopes! Ha!

When dealing with a problem blade I prefer to star at it for like twenty minutes, then exhaust every trick I know to get it to hone, then get really angry and then do stupid things. :P

Like my Frederick Reynolds quarter hollow, the previous owner apparently had some thing about the back side of the blade where he didn't like to hone too close to the heal, so the spine was still super thick there and the normal over time worn down everywhere else. My answer? Grind down the spine to make it even. The problem, one huge spot of hone wear looks a little odd and it's hard to be so precise. My solution, keep grinding until it's a nice even true wedge. After about 16 hours and four sheets of 80 grit paper, I'm about halfway there.

Like I say, I like to get angry and do really stupid things. After I'm done with it, I'll likely be so disgusted with how long I wasted on it I won't hone it for months. :P

Originally Posted by gugi

actually due to the oil i can't see anything that matters on these pictures.
i use microscope with 100 magnification and it's straightforward to tell which hone to use and when you're done with it.
it is not necessary at all. unless you have no idea when honing what the problem is.

Me, too. It also makes bevel problems easier to see and diagnose.

OT: You guys need to know something about Windows Vista...If you play the Windows Vista Installation CD backwards, it'll play Satanic messages. Even worse, if you play it forward, it'll install Windows Vista.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

OT: You guys need to know something about Windows Vista...If you play the Windows Vista Installation CD backwards, it'll play Satanic messages. Even worse, if you play it forward, it'll install Windows Vista.

I finally bought a PC with Vista on a few months ago, I felt I had to try it out. And I have to say this in Vista's defence: the animated progress bars look really nice.

Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

That's more like what I'm used to seeing. Did you figure out how to vary the magnification?

Not really, I just didnt crop out too much of the image to get the biggest view, that's all I can make it smaller still, easily.

Originally Posted by zib

Guys, Other than it's cool, Why do we need to see that much detail, Just curious. I'm looking and thinking, Man, do I really want to see that much detail? For honing blades and normal use what's the deal with 200+ magnification? What are you looking for? I'm curious about it. I'd get one myself, but I'd have to at least justify it to myself.....

Obviously, you don't NEED one, but they can be halpful in solving honing mysteries. Like a bevel that is not truly set yet. It also helps you to see what you have been feeling/.

Can make you a bit obsessive though!


Those pics certaily do look like 200x to me.

Originally Posted by Rajagra

BTW don't bother with digital zoom except for getting a convenient sized live picture. All it does is crop the image then resize using interpolation, it doesn't reveal any more detail (if anything it loses some.) You are better off cropping and resizing in a graphics package.

You're of course right about what you're saying about the digital zoom. It's much better to get the pic and then open it real size in an image editing program and take what you need than losing resolution by using the digital zoom.

The reason I used it is that it allows me to fine tune the focus: I get a sharper image by setting the focus on a zoomed in image and then removing the zoom than by not using any zoom at all. I'm not using the digital zoom to get a larger image: I have photoshop

Originally Posted by Cornelius

How about this? Is this more the like the kind of magnification we're looking for?

Perfect! What magnification was that?