Thread: What does it indicate when your blade skips or catches on the surface of the stone?

This is a short one, but one of the best because of the angle of the camera of Charlie Lewis honing smiling bladed.

Note the rolling stroke, heel forward and how he rolls the razor from heel to toe. The heel start off on the stone and the toe is slightly off the stone, as it goes across the stone the heel comes up and the toe goes down. The razor is only making one point of contact. That is the Roll.

The whole edge is being honed. Note that the razor is making contact with only about one inch of the middle of the stone. On the 4k stone (White stone) look at the black swarf, it is only about an inch wide. And note how he is naturally using only the right half of the stone and the heel is coming off the stone.

Ink the edge do one stroke, stop and see if you are making contact on the whole edge. Re-ink and adjust your stroke, (how much your roll/lift or roll/down) to make full contact. Keep inking and checking. If you use colored ink like red, you can easily see your progress without magnification

If you have a warp or possibly a twist where the razor will not lay flat on a stone, you will use the exact same stroke, except hone on the right side of the stone using only one inch of the edge of stone and allowing the heel to come off the stone about half way across the stone.

Had you done this, it would still have a smile and all of the edge would be honed.

You can still save it, it will just be a bit narrower.

Charlie Lewis (Honing A Smiling Straight Razor Blade).