Thread: 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?

Can you share the link please?

Sounds like he developed it after seeing other videos of the same thing, but I suppose I should wait to see the video.

Sounds like a version of Alex Gilmore’s, Ax Method, which is a version of knife honing adapted for razor use that has been used by Japanese bladesmiths for hundreds of years.

Yes, it works and well, but as with any honing you still have to do the number of laps or grit of stones that the bevel and edge need. I do believe Alex recommends more laps than 5 strokes of each grit, more like 20-25 to begin with.

Alex Gilmore is a well respected member here.

If your razor was in good shape, chip free, you probably did not need to drop down to the 1.5K

https://youtu.be/JpJJs_deurk

This is a link to the Japan blade, it's the original axe method video, im trying to find the modified version which is what I did, but there's so many videos and I never booked marked it, but it's in there....I'll keep looking.

Yeah it was more than 5, it was a diminishing amount starting with 5, then less, then less, etc

Yup, Alex.

It works, Alex has lots of great video on his site.