Thread: Missing the toe on return stroke.

Evening all. I'm not making contact at the toe of the razor on the return stroke. This is what the marker test is telling me. Any clues, tips or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Could you post some pics of the razor? It could be a number of things, but with pics it might be easier to give a good answer.

Off the top of my head, some possibilities include:

Uneven spine wear (is it a new or vintage blade?)

Wonky (i.e. not straight) spine

Uneven pressure having been applied either by you or previous owner/honer, hence new vs vintage question above.

Are you sure your hone if FLAT? Not just flat, but FLAT!

I'm sure others will chime in soon with other suggestions, but after a long, long day today, that's all I can think of at the moment.

He forgot warped edge. I think. You can put it against a straight edge and check for that. Draw lines on your hone in both directions half inch apart and lap to check for that. uneven spine wear hmmmmmmm.......

hold your razor flat on a piece of paper on a flat surface and shine a light from behind. check for light coming through at the toe

Most new honers keep their elbow at their side as they complete strokes. It is easier to maintain the blade evenly on the stone if the honer raises his elbow at least as high as the top of the stone surface. At first this seems uncomfortable, but it quickly becomes a valuable habit and it eliminates the issues with which you are concerned.

What these guys said above...including a rolling x