Thread: Question about Honing - x-stroke

Thanks for bringing up this question Andrew. I've been watching the various videos and wondering the same thing, but hadn't asked yet. JimmyHAD's references have helped me a lot, as have the videos, but I think it comes down to finding a technique that makes sense to you and works with your style of motion. The circle technique from one of Gssixgun's video's really appeals to my sense of 'balanced' strokes.

I wonder about that too, but like jimmyhad said; the toe seems to need the extra attention for me. I've been doing pretty well with my straight blades, but struggle with the smiling blades. I have a nice Wosty that I am afraid to hone. I think it will be visiting with Lynn or gssixgun soon as I really want to shave with it. I don't think I can wait for my technique to catch up. Lol.

I'm hearing you Ted, I'm be able to get most blades right now with out to much trouble as I usually use the circles method followed by X strokes & Glens pigtailed x stroke for most straight blades
but the smiling blades still take me a lot longer working out the rolling X stroke to get them right

Originally Posted by AndrewJM

Have a local meetup at the end of the month which should be great. I've seen honing in person at the last meetup but didn't know the right questions to ask or what I should be looking for. Will be better equipped this time.

Andrew, Its hard to say how good an idea this is. You have some wonderful guys there & Onimaru55 may be one of the more skilled guys you ever meet - good in restoration, and called the 'best with the stones' by one of the larger Jnat vendors. Start writing down questions now. If its a large group, see where Oz it heading to sit - sit nearby so you can hear the questions & his answers and have a good visual when he demonstrates honing. (I'm rather mercenary about learning) You'll thank yourself for many yrs to come.

Your hand is holding the shank, and a common grip is thumb toward the top. So that heel part of the razor is getting some pressure. On a wider stone you can always do as others have said - angle the heel forward at say 45 degrees and simply move the razor in that position up and down the stone.

On a narrower hone the contact width might be a few cm in which case all the bits of the edge get roughly equal time.

Alternatively you can do a something like an "L" stroke: go 1/3 of the way down the hone with the heel part on, then X it off to get the rest of the edge.

The point though is that you have to assess and adjust and adapt so that you get the edge how you want it, and there's no one stroke guaranteed to do the job in all cases. So if you find when you do the X stroke the heel is not getting honed you need to adjust your stroke so it does.

Magic marker is your friend when learning to hone, particularly with setting bevels and with non-standard grinds like you get on older blades etc.

James.