Quote Originally Posted by Sticky View Post
How to hone a smile: 1961 Barbering Text - Honing.pdf http://straightrazorpalace.com/downl...p?do=file&id=2 ref. pg. 24.

Any given smile profile will require the removal of the same amount of metal (breadknifing or not). I think it's faster to breadknife the profile until it's close and then hit the bevel planes. (Instead of removing steel from only the bevel planes until the right profile is reached.)
It is a PITA no matter how you go about it. I have done it on a real bear of a frown. I first tried the coarse DMT 325 with three pieces of tape but the frown was so severe that I went to the breadknifing. The circles and back and forth strokes followed on the DMT 1200 to set the bevel. Had it not been a brand I really wanted I would have thrown it in the trash bin.

The link to the barber manual that Steven provided is one of my favorite resources. It displays sideways on my computers both at work and at home so I printed out a copy for each location to easily refer to it. The author provides a drawing or what he feels is the ideal blade profile and a method of honing to keep it that way. I have been playing with this in my regular honing and I like it.