Thread: Honing Technique...

Hello all, new to the forum.

Just recently got into straight razor shaving and had a question about honing on sharpening stones. I have worked in the culinary field for several years earlier in my life and really got into knife sharpening. I got really good at it, so naturally those skills helped me out when sharpening my straight razor. The question I have though, is about the technique I see on videos online with straight razor sharpening. Every video I see the person sharpening the razor only uses one hand and holds the razor by the tang and makes their passes that way. This method bugs me because of the possibility of the razor not completely evenly contacting the surface of the stone. When I sharpen my kitchen knives I usually hold the knife in one hand and use the other hand to apply pressure to the blade with my finger tips. This way, I can evenly space out my finger tips and make sure the blade is having nice even contact with the stone.

Now, I know that with a straight razor, the edge is very thin, and so you can't really apply very much pressure at all, because you will bend/deform the edge while sharpening, thus affecting your results. So, what I've been doing is holding the razor in one hand, and using my other hand, very lightly applying a small amount of pressure to the blade. Just to make sure I'm getting good even contact.

What I want to know is, why do I never see anyone do this in videos online? They always use the one handed technique I previously mentioned. Is there something bad about the two handed technique that I use and I shouldn't do it anymore? Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.

I only hone my razors using two hands. My hands shake a bit so my left forefinger just resting at the center of tip helps tremendously for me. With my straights I normally only do
touch ups so I don't use pressure at all.

When sharpening razors you are contacting the blade on the edge and the spine creating the angle. With a knife you control the angle with both hands. I use my off hand to guide the razor while honing but it provides no pressure. I have read several times that honing a razor and sharpening a knife are two completely different animals requiring different skill sets. Check out YouTube videos and it may help your transition.

I think it's some personal preference and what you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously if you need pressure here it there at the bevel set it helps to put some finger pressure.
I typically use two hands at the lower grits. I usually finish on smaller natural stones, and hold the hone in one hand and razor in the other. I think the bigger benefit is having very sensitive feedback in the finish. You'd be (I was) surprised at what you can feel on the edge.

Sharpening razors and knives are two entirely different animals and many expert knife sharpeners soon realize their experience can actually be a minus when it comes to razors.

If you use the two handed approach there is a tendency to apply too much pressure which will cause issues with the bevel very quickly. When it comes to straights the least amount of pressure can cause issues seemingly out of proportion the the pressure applied. Issues with different edge geometry is handled by using different types of strokes depending on the characteristics of the edge you are working with. Do some research on the site and you will see there is plenty of discussion on these topics.

Heck use as many hands as it takes , but the guys who know how to hone a razor seem to be fine with one at times ,, I sharpen knives with one hand myself , hold the stone with the other ,, but the razors I use no hands, I let them other guys do it. I'm assuming you shave with a straight , so if it's good for you do it

Use however many hands you need to get the job done! One hand is usually favoured because you want to use as little pressure as possible when finishing and you can create an uneven bevel with uneven two handed pressure. As thebigspenur said you can mess up a blade very quickly with too much pressure.
With regards to the whole of the blade in contact with the hone just using one hand like everything else its just practice.
I generally use two hands because Ive got really bad shakes. The trick is to maintain even pressure throughout the pass/stroke and literally use your second hand to guide your straight. I constantly check to see if I'm using even pressure by looking at bevel, and cutting arm hair all along the blade.
Try practicing using one hand but don't get too stressed if you don't 'get it'. Theres no laws in this game!

TBS - bravo for the help. 'All true, and with a tone that can be heard by any motivated person. Nicely done.

I hone with two hands - always have always will. I don't have any issues with too much or uneven pressure - in fact I find I can delicately moderate the pressure from heel to tip with two hands and it makes rolling strokes very simple. I find my left hand (the hand at the tip) is mainly a guide and often doesn't apply pressure at all. I use my right hand to execute most of the motion and apply a bit of torque if need be. Every blade needs a different stroke and part of learning how to hone is looking at a blade and deciding how best to tackle it. I think there are several "honemeisters" who hone with two hands...

John

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Sharpening razors and knives are two entirely different animals and many expert knife sharpeners soon realize their experience can actually be a minus when it comes to razors.
.

I can tell you that my knife sharpening experience helped me at least know what the stones were meant to do... But I think my preconceptions really held me back.

Years on - learning to hone a straight has made me an exceptional knife sharpener... At least I think so lol.


I hone my razors with one hand. I sharpen my knives with two. I can't do it any other way now lol.