Axe 2 method, from YouTube.
Last night I was looking around on YouTube, at different honing videos and came across a guy that was using a method that I thought seemed simple and had very reproducible results possibly. The axe 2, so named by him as a modified "axe" technique also developed by him.
The method is as follows:
Edge leading, one direction strokes of a minimal amount.
I.E five strokes one direction, five the other, and diminishing stroke numbers until you reach one stroke in either direction, with only a couple so called clean up strokes. In all there was only about ten to twelve strokes per side, per stone grit, and only about 3 different, increasing grit, hones. Then a minimal amount of passes....say ten on flax linen, ten to fifteen on leather, with a strop.
This morning I decided to try this out on a decent blade I own...TI round point 6/8. nothing special. But I gotta tell you guys, not only was this technique super effective, but it was super fast, and very easy. Very repeatable, most of all!
The grits I used were all shapton professional stones, 1.5
5. And 15k then a middle of the road strop.
Not only did the blade pass the hht better than I've been able to get it to previous, but the shave was very smooth and virtually irritation free.
Any thoughts or suggestions that could make this even better, or more effective?