Thread: Alternating x pattern

I tried something different when honing today and had a real success with a small wade and butcher quarter hollow.
Basically I was restoring it and it need about 30 mins on the 1k to get a decent bevel, which left quite deep striations on it. When I continued the pattern on the 4k I realised it is hard to see when you have polished out all the 1k marks becuase the 4k marks blend together with it, so I started honing it in a straight line instead of x pattern so I could see the marks go.
I then continued through 8k, thuringen, 12k and paste alternating each stroke to be sure I removed all the marks from previous stones and finished with an incredibly polished bevel.
The shave was amazing although I am a little unsure how it will hold up as I spent much longer on the hones than I normally do and am not sure if it is a little overhoned. I was very suprised how much longer it takes to remove the marks than I thought - I imagine that I have 4k marks on a lot of my razor I shave with.