Thread: honing on small stones

I have the small DT and LM hones and basically use the x stroke while holding the hones in my hand. I haven't tried it yet but can't see why the half stroke like they use with Coticule Bouts on Coticule.be with the Unicot and Dilucote method in the Sharpening Academy.

I have also considered trying the Ellipticot method as shown on the Coticule.be home page. I'm not sure if it would work better using this method with both hones or just for finishing with the LM, guess I need to experiment and report back.

I really rather enjoy using smaller stones. Sure I have larger stones, but there is something that's just so easy about pulling out a little 4" stone, throwing it on your palm, and sitting wherever and giving your blade a little honing lol.

I put some skateboard tape on the back of my small stones to hold em in the palm a little more securely. Might try some of that spray on rubber stuff one day...

Anyway, maybe one day I'll post a video, but I am sure that once you practice a little, it'll become second nature and a nice pass-time.

Plus one for 'narrow' stones. Personally, I've found that 4-5 cm is pretty ideal, although I can comfortably hone on a 2 cm or 6 cm wide stone as well.

My only problem with narrow hones is keeping the blade flat on the hone with little pressure. Make sure the edges are chamfered, in case you slip up like I do!

For grunt work I like bigger (8X3) hones, but for finishing I like shorter (6/5X3) hones. I feel I concentrate better with less real estate. Hone size preference is completely subjective, pick a size that works for you.

From personal experience, I find that using your index finger dead center of the spine works best. Using minimal pressure I can get a good feel for the hone and the blade. I usually do a few passes on each side and finish with a couple x strokes. Being a simple touch up from one of my small 5 or 6" x 1 1/8 hones. Try it, works for me. But again. All this is a learning process. Patience delivers. I'm sure you'll learn a lot from every hone. Part of the hobby right?