Swedish wood carving knife

[Mike Brubacher]

Thanks Jan for the lesson and explanation. Very interesting. I can see where the system might get more difficult to use if most of the light is scattered as opposed to reflected. Of course that effect would be determined by the surface finish of the bevel as you point out. I wonder if there wouldn't be a very thin and shiny "sticky back" metal film (foil) available that might aid the process. Just wrap a strip over the edge and convert light scattering surfaces to reflective. We used to use this very same material for RF shielding but it was copper. Zinc or aluminum might do the job. I think that the foil we used is two thousandths of an inch thick (.002"), and comes on a paper backing. Just peel the metal foil off the backing and stick the foil where you wish. The adhesive back used here is conductive, not that it makes any difference in this application. Here's a picture of our copper foil.

   

Just looked at the picture and to tell you the truth this stuff is pretty shiny. You can see the partial reflected image of me shooting the picture.