Thread: Only Half Sharp

One thing I've taken to lately is to alternate between heel first and toe first on the hone when using x-strokes. It's not as tough as it may sound after a little practice. Seems like the heel first stroke many times gets the heel much more worked than the toe. So I alternate using toe first for 30 strokes or so then heel first for the next 30 laps, and on and on. I haven't seen any bad effects and it does seem to even out how the edge grinds itself on the stone. Like most, I much prefer a tiny, even bevel and that seems to have been the final twist I needed to make that happen.

Though trying it on a humpback with a smile can get a little like Olympic gymnastics...