Thread: Rolling X

Originally Posted by Euclid440

You don’t have to go with the tip from corner to corner. If you do the heel will end up with very little time on the stone. The tip is on the stone 100 percent of the time the heel falls off with in the first inch of lateral travel.

Watch Charlies stroke on the Rolling X and see where the heel comes off the stone, notice how rounded your once spike point is. More time on stone, more wear. The goal is even wear and a fully honed edge.

You can also hone a smile, (especially at low grits) by honing the toe and heel separately with straight strokes. Do two laps on the toe then two on the heel, then blend the middle with a rolling X, or just perfect the rolling X.

Charlies videos of the Rolling X is the best visual. Watch his smooth stroke and imitate it.

1) I got that rattler like that. I haven't even touched that one yet. Just used for a demonstration of how sometimes the edge goes around the corner. I would never do that to a square point. In fact I think that's what Steve's (OP) concern is.
2) The line is not there to follow as a guide just to visualize the turn in a stroke. That line can go anywhere on the stone In fact it's best if it's imaginary because then you're not following a line you're looking at the edge.
3) Not the gospel. Just for visualization. It's all an exercise in watching how the edge goes across the stone at any given point on the razor. As I said before I didn't have anyone to teach me this I had to come up with ways on my own to make sense of it. I'm not saying they're all right. I'm saying this was what helped me get a grasp on the concept.