Don’t misunderstand me. The clarity is there with this scope. When used properly, you’ll be able see the edge damage, defects and it’s condition when first clamping up the knife to decide your plan of attack. You’ll be able to see damage as small as pin point size chips and scratches.
Once I get started, for me, it’s all about my progress through the grit progression and my consistency in applying my scratch patterns. As I get down to micron and submicron grits I can examine my bevels and apex for remaining mini-defects and oversights I still need to refine.
I’m able to see everything I need to see or, to see go away, to achieve shiny reflective mirror polished edges. I can see the toothiness applied or the burr that remains using 0.1micron DLF. That’s really as much scope as I need to achieve super sharp usable edges on my personal use knives.
Remember this is only 200X power with a hand held scope on a knife clamped in the W.E., or just held in my hand. Clay is using 2000X with the knife clamped in a stand microscope. That power needs the stationary stability.
I understand you may be looking for more then I’m working with. If so, for that, I can not help.
I believe those images of Clay’s are made attempting to measure the scratch patterns laid down by an abrasive to determine the depth of the scratches imparted in the steel and the distance between these scratch grooves. He’s trying to determine if these scratch dimensions are consistent with the assigned abrasive sizes or grit sizes assigned for a particular sharpening stone. This was part of an effort to place all the different grits and abrasive mediums on one universal grit chart arranging them coarse to fine and showing a comparison of their actual physical scratch patterns. This is intended to help W.E. user’s to decide how to use multiple different abrasive mediums in their sharpening progression, to “mix and match” them so to speak, to use them in the best, effective order to achieve the results they seek. To do what Clay is attempting requires a better scope than we need for viewing sharpening progress and results.
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