This Cheap Tool Will Change How You Sharpen Your Knives!

A Cheap Must Have Item For Knife Sharpening! If you don't have one of these jewelers loupe you are definitely missing out. These are a HUGE help because you can actually see whats going on when you are sharpening your knife.
Link to the knife sharpening tool in this video⬇️
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About⬇️
Hi, Im Alex, im a knife maker and KZbinr, based out of southern Pennsylvania and my youtube channel is Outdoors55. This channel started as an outdoor backpacking channel, but quickly grew into a knife/ knife making channel. Everything I do on my channel is family friendly. I primarily focus on knife / knife making videos but occasionally throw in something different. Thank you for watching!😀
#knifemaking #knife #knifemaker #outdoors55
Best all around sharpening stone as of now⬇️
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Second one you should purchase⬇️
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For entertainment only. I am not, and will not be held responsible for anyone re-enacting/ duplicating anything seen in these videos. Do so at your own risk. Do not duplicate anything seen in this video. Unless you are an adult responsible for your own decisions. Thanks
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Everything I say and do on this channel is protected free speech. I am simply exercising my 1st amendment right under the United States constitution. The supreme law of the land. I am exercising my right to protest. As well as my 4th and 5th amendment rights.

[@OUTDOORS55]

The Must have item ⬇ amzn.to/3nXa9PX Lens used⬇ amzn.to/3KRpfAr These are affiliated links I earn from qualifying purchases. Everything in this video was purchased with my own money. Thanks for watching!

[@KnifeModders]

What screen are you using? Do you like it? I have the same setup without the screen and have been on the fence about getting one. Thanks!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Its a "small hd" monitor. Its been great so far.

[@cheryljason9617]

Loop

[@jdw0909]

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh when I heard you say 0 degrees C was cold! 😂 I'm from Canada and was recently in - 45 C in SK. THAT was cold, cars wouldn't start, fingers and hands cracking after mere minutes of exposure, eyelashes and beard freezing and sticking together. That's cold. I'm actually from Ontario, but where I'm from, people don't really consider it that cold until it gets below - 20C lol. Great video though! Keep up the good work!

[@OUTDOORS55]

@@jdw0909 Except we actually have to work in it all day. your not outside when its -40 for too long😉

[@miker5502]

I'm impressed Alex…I've worked in photography for over fifty years and I can say with certainty your doing good stuff with the equipment you have…stay warm and keep those good videos coming. Cheers Mike in Nova Scotia.

[@billthebutcher1821]

I agree. Great comment. Great video.

[@donofamerica5562]

Loop is how you say it. I was a jeweler for 5 years

[@OUTDOORS55]

Glad to know👍 Thanks!

[@donofamerica5562]

@@OUTDOORS55 no problem

[@vegan-cannibal714]

Thank you that was driving me nuts.

[@wades623]

i thought he was just making a joke about the spelling or something

[@vivienpandart]

I'm not a jeweler but I'm french and it's prononce "loop" as you said.

[@philb8338]

Macro photography meets knife sharpening, what's not to love?

[@CNYKnifeNerd]

The best sharpening advice I've ever received was to start using a loupe. I probably learned more in the first year of using one than I did in the previous 15 years of sharpening. For all the "how exactly will this change my sharpening" intellectuals commenting; it probably won't help/change *your* sharpening at all. Keep sharpening your Mtechs on your Dollar Tree cinder blocks.

[@OUTDOORS55]

My response to "How will this help my sharpening?" Is use one and you will SEE🙂👍

[@mfreeman313]

@@OUTDOORS55 You anticipated the question I and I suppose lots of others would ask. BTW I do video and I've got some sweet macros, but I didn't know you could get a 5X and really drill down just with that. I figured everyone had some sort of special microscopy setup. Will investigate. Meantime I'll get a loupe (it's "loop," just "loop") and see, literally, what's going on with my edges. Thanks!

[@johanneswerner1140]

It's loop-eh, Lupe, German meaning just magnifying glass. So, yeah. Whatever. Makes sense to use one, I guess, I'll get one and check my sharpening (of tools, like plane irons and chisels). Thanks!

[@mrgeorgejetson]

@@johanneswerner1140 It might be pronounced that way in German, but in English (and French, where we get it from) it's pronounced the same as "loop."

[@johanneswerner1140]

Actually the French pronunciation is not loop (if I could figure out how to use IPA on the phone...), as close as it might sound to you. And now you mention it, it is quite likely the Germans got that word from French as well, like Portemonnaie, Allee, (and a ton others, and many have garbled spelling and pronunciation, especially recently). But that's not my point. It is a magnifying glass, (and loope is actually not even in my Oxford dictionary...) (at least this time the meaning was not mangled, like with entrée, which is a starter in French, or scampi, which are small crustaceans in Italian).

[@cameronsaint116]

I’m excited to watch, just started sharpening on a whetstone. Thanks for teaching me 😂

[@JustIn-op6oy]

I always thought I was being overly fussy and neurotic by checking my edges with a jeweler's loupe. I have a bad tendency to overthink things and stress over details that don't matter, I'm glad that I was validated in this particular situation.

[@PabloP169]

I have always said loupe as "loop" and my computer tells me the same thing. I use what they call a 200x magnification camera microscope attachment to my computer (USB port). I have no way of verifying the 200x and it has a very tight focus point like you are seeing, but I guess that should be expected at that magnification.

[@dariva]

Yeah, loupe is the French word for magnifying glass and it is pronounced loop, so I'd say you would pronounce it the same in English

[@7784000]

In german it is Lupe which is pronounced like loop-e (short e)

[@mrgeorgejetson]

@@7784000 And in Chinese it's 環形, but that's not relevant to the present discussion. In English it's homophonous with "loop."

[@Utrilus]

O yea, amazon definitely lie about magnification. I watched an EvilmonkeyzDesignz made 6 months ago and he thoroughly reviewed and disassembled them, while comparing it to a functional microscope.

[@tyscam]

I second on the loupe. Best one I've found. So good I bought a backup one.

[@Finvaara]

Glad I started hunting through your old videos. The Jeweler's Loupe tip should help me have more of an idea what I'm doing while I'm learning to consistently find an angle, create and refine an edge.

[@gbphotosaustralia543]

Great job Alex. You explained it well. Also cleaning your lens helps. I have been sharpening a straight razor for about 40 years and I use it on my face. Having a straight polished edge is vital. You know your stuff Alex. Well done.

[@infidel24]

This video is perfect timing. I've been needing something to magnify my edges so I can see what I'm doing right and wrong. Thank you

[@4yoHI]

Loupe is the french name for magnifying glass, pronounce loupe (like loop), not loup"ay" ;)

[@ghostbanana271]

Fun fact: When you use lens with 90x magnification, the depth of focus would be, as you just said, millimeter or even less. The more you magnify the smaller the depth of focus will be. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) has magnification around 120000 which makes it look like it would be impossible to focus, but it's actual depth of focus is around 3 feet. SEM doesn't concentrate image like lens does, it uses very thin electron beam which has very small focusing angle so the depth of focus is very large. The disadvantage is that the chamber is very small, you wouldn't fit a knife in it and it needs a vacuum and it can only analyze electrically conductive samples.

[@13_13k]

Great of you to share that info about using a loupe. I've been using a loupe to help with my knife sharpening for many many years. It really does help.

[@galenmullenax4039]

Bravo Bravo excellent demonstration!

[@matthewadler1329]

Someone get this guy a genius grant. Love your channel man. Keep up the good work.

[@blainebickle1178]

Thank you so much for teaching us about these cheap things that help so much!

[@edbernier5513]

The sacrifices you make for us… all in the name of sharp images- ur, I mean sharp edges.

[@mattpaisley8706]

Just ordered from your link thanks dude

[@Enigma-Sapiens]

Awesome Alex, thank you!

[@aaronb7800]

You are absolutely correct! I've been using a lighted "loop" ever since I started watching your amazing sharpening videos. It helps tremendously in getting a great edge. Thanks for your videos!

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

I bought these sharpening angle guided from sharpal they work pretty good

[@CraftedFractal]

So cool! Thanks for sharing your process!

[@jackal2247]

thanks for making these videos, man. recently watched ALL of your videos and it has been great following along on your journey and seeing you getting better at making videos and trying new things, and it's a good motivator for me to try the same

[@slm5292]

Alex, I love your work. Been following you for years. The WiFi digital microscopes on Amazon may deserve attention. They are very cheap but did the job of 1000x and are simple to use. Mine lasted for awhile then broke as expected. So now I am going to fork out another $20 and plan to do it again in another 2 years. Thanks for all you have done. I really appreciate what you have shared with all of us and have learned a great deal from you.

[@melchurch3019]

Very helpful Alex. I sharpen my straight razor and check it with a small loupe. This system would help me compare micro films that I use for sharpening. I use a focusing rail similar to that for macro photography on static subjects.

[@toolittletoolate1656]

Thank you for these videos

[@bob_frazier]

Yes! We're going to get to actually see what different stones/strops do to our edges!!!! Yay!

[@wigglywrigglydoo]

Good to see you again. Take care!

[@griff7749]

I've always liked your videos and still go back to consult them, always helpful. Just watching this one again because I'm dealing with M390 for the first time.

[@bobbywonder4574]

I can't believe you are back, wow am so happy

[@jdw0909]

I think I'll definitely be picking up a jeweler's loupe after watching this video, to aid in my own sharpening.!

[@joefergerson5243]

Very cool! Thanks for the great video!

[@charlesroberts9675]

Really interesting, thank you.

[@raulbarboza9856]

Thanks for sharing, it’s appreciated. The comments are useful too!👍🏽👊🏽

[@jimorourke2771]

Great Job !!

[@marksanders8028]

Thank you.

[@RedBeardOps]

Man, that's close... Love it

[@ryanblystone5153]

Thank you

[@bbarker5766]

I've used a loupe (loop) for years at work and when they replaced our old ones we got to keep them and I have it in my toolbox and use it all the time.

[@presleybapu3396]

Please come back and make more videos! You inspired me to make my first knife that I’m making rn. I rewatch all ur knife making vids over 20 times lol.

[@lesamourai777]

I enjoy your sense of humor. 😆

[@adamlucas4753]

One thing you might also do (and maybe are and just didn't show) is to check the grit of your stones/polishing compound with your setup. The difference between a stone or compound that claims to be 'fine' and one that's _actually_ fine can get pretty obvious above about 50X. Like looking at the difference between a beach on the French Riviera and a gravel pit from a height of 50-100 ft.

[@mikafoxx2717]

His video showing the cheap dual grit 400/1000 grit diamond have identical scratch patterns despite finer grit on the 1000, because of grit contamination during manafactore was great. I should grab a loupe for testing out some of my inherited arkansas stones to see what they do. I've heard they're roughly 1-2k grit

[@blueswan2175]

wow love the explanation always wondered about it,I use the Loupe(loop) all the time its just a 10x but it works

[@n1n984]

Love the advice again man, keep em coming!

[@fnurbz]

Omg yaay a video again!

[@tryxxor]

i love your videos and especially the macro shots, hope to see much more of that

[@nativewildman9335]

Cool view! I like to use whetstones for sharpening I have up to an 8k stone Naniwa S2. I think it would be cool to see the edge on a close up at different grits 90% of the time I go too an 1k grit stone.

[@shadowx8405]

A jeweler's loupe! That's awesome, and clever. Never would have thought of that. I'll use this. Great info./video. 🤙

[@mikeleuchs1326]

Using your method you can actually monitor the edge whilst it's being sharpened. It's very educational

[@Jam3s99]

Great video love the close ups.

[@mrgeorgejetson]

Great video! Regarding your focusing rig: I used to work in a lab where we used high-magnification on a video monitor and I used a flat rig where I could shift the x and y axes by really tiny increments using micrometer spindles. In your case, you'd only need one spindle (for one dimension: in and out), and I'm sure it's possible to find something like that for a camera tripod rig like yours. Just a thought. Keep up the great work!

[@1BigHeart777]

Thank you for trying to explain how you get those amazing images 👍

[@ghill1010]

Thanks so much. Missed ya!!!!

[@qracer1555]

Cool video…I’m commenting for the algorithm because I’m a huge fan of everything Alex does. I wish you all the best!

[@adanma17]

Great video as always 👍

[@DAVIDMILLER-nc9vo]

Your photography of the up-and-close knife edges is excellent. It aids in the understanding of sharpening and fine edges. I alway look forward to these close-up images, both before and after you have addressed a blade.

[@outdoorangling4466]

i can't wait to see some more kinfe making videos

[@BTC_DNA]

Great video!

[@MichaelR58]

Good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !

[@janosbudai6125]

thanks you for sharing,you ar good man.

[@olafkliemt1145]

supercool insight, man - thank you ! edit: if you add loads and loads of light you can use a higher aperture number and get more depth of sharpness. or you just expose for several seconds at f32.

[@TundraMMV]

Stay inside and try to stay warm !! The image of that edge is awesome !!

[@toddcarr.]

Awesome vid and I also use a jeweler's loupe to see what kind of edge I got going on a knife. Don't use it all the time but it definately makes a huge difference when determining edge quality. Thanks for the cool vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.

[@saintofchelseathomascarlyl5713]

new video! imo this channel has the highest quality content about sharpening in youtube by far and also its a very big channel even without 2 videos a week which i think also says something

[@kasamarctvoffical]

An informative sharing my friend.

[@gogart3]

I use a loupe too (the type that is held by your eye socket like a monocle), but your vids do a really good job of showing those close ups with your equipment. Must take a decent amount of time & effort .... but is appreciated when we get to see those apex shots. Thx

[@kennethbezanson4266]

Sorry you're freezing your butt off, but it's appreciated. Great video, love the close ups and that loupe thing seems awesome!

[@Redtailedhawk99]

I bought myself and three other people each one of those DMT Fine 3X8 Diamond sharpeners. Then I bought a leather Strop and some diamond paste. I sharpened all of my knives and then accidentally grazed my finger with my paring knife. Fortunately, I only barely shaved the tip of my finger. Wow! Thanks for the heads up on those sharpeners though! My knives work great now.

[@LogicOfaMadman]

Lol I actually really enjoyed this from start to finish. Very well made video, well done.

[@TheMoonake]

Thank you for this video in tre freeze !

[@slipperytoiletpaper3169]

Love the channel btw I found you a few days ago and I’ve been binging ever since

[@anordman9659]

It is so good to see you back! I hope you are doing ok, buddy!

[@edwardfletcher7790]

This is why a leather strop is so helpful to finish the sharpen of a knife 👍

[@shaynegablespkr]

So happy to see you post again. How is the house coming?

[@benjackson9980]

Thanks yes I bought a 40 X Loop and it helps me. The size of the hole for that 90 X looks too tiny to be useful

[@isoEH]

Amazing Images is right. Nice equipment choices, and plenty of credits for technique. Metals are hard to photograph.

[@sharpknivesrule6006]

I've used a magnifying glass for sharpening, this is next level!

[@lastlight05]

You were right with "loop." It's a loop, we use them in print design as well.

[@jesseadams45]

You can also get cheap loops that clamp to your phone over your phone camera. Handy for this sort of thing as well.

[@Ken-wu6hr]

On tv shows I’ve seen Jeweler’s Loupe they say Loop. Hard core pawn

[@Hungrybird474]

I have the same one from Amazon . It’s decent . Came with a bag to keep it in and xtra batteries and something else life a fidget toy

[@mikeking6686]

LOOP, GOOD JOB

[@Thestargazer56]

I remember back I was taking 35mm (Nikon-FM) B&W (Pan-X ASA 32 film) developing, enlarging, and printing my photos. I would sometimes handhold ( I may have had an adapter, I've hade a stroke and a lot of fine memory details have evaporated) my 50mm Nikkor F-1.8 lens backward against the camera body to get super-sharp macro images. I definitely reversed the lens and it could not be manually focused. My, how times have changed.

[@1337flite]

Loop. Loupe is pronounced “loop”. As in loop in a piece if cord. Rhymes with goop. Alex - you the daddy for great no bs diy knife/sharpening. Thanks man.

[@Cellophaness]

Nice man.

[@harryhunter8645]

Your finally back

[@TillRaguin]

I'm gonna get one of those :-) BTW, it's pronounced "loop". Keep posting these instructional videos, love your humour, too.

[@pizzachief2379]

Gday from Townsville Australia🇦🇺loved the last video of Wyoming, it looks like a beautiful place… keep up the great content, would love an update on the house

[@TurboNorm]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing this information. I always thought you had some kind of expensive microscope camera. I’ve learned a lot on your channel.

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

Nice! You're correct, it should be pronounced & spelled Loop. Instead they spell it loupe I don't know why?

[@Kholaslittlespot1]

I came for the knives and learnt something about photography. You're super watchable btw. I could see you having a myth busters type outdoorsy show on TV.

[@DragonHeart5150]

Good video.

[@jons2447]

Thank you, Alex! Hope to get my loupe ( pronounced "loop") when the check comes. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

[@billthebutcher1821]

By far my new favorite channel. Can’t believe I just now found you. Huge fan here !!!! 🤘🏻🤙🏻🤘🏻🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

[@OpenBarGarage]

I literally ordered a cheap amazon microscope immediately after watching this video. For someone just starting getting into sharpening I think it can be a a good way to understand how each stone affects the process and compare your finished knife with a brand new knife and see where you can improve.

[@user-ch4ex3yy4l]

Can you figuratively order a cheap microscope? You are literally using the word literally incorrectly.

[@OpenBarGarage]

@@user-ch4ex3yy4l yeah you're right I used it wrong and I feel embarrassed about it. I still feel like punching you in the face for being a little shit about it though. On a more relevant note. How's your knife sharpening skills coming along?

[@patrickleemans9763]

Cool 👍 frome Belgium

[@doak4886]

The spooky and subtle “space” music in the background definitely made the video seem colder. Made you come across as a lot smarter too. Great job as usual.

[@darkangeldafu]

Dude I wish it was 0 degrees here. -12 Celsius and I love the close ups of the knives edge 👍