Thread: If all you know how to hone is a Wapi...

They all end up looking the same.

Can someone point me to good instruction on how to hone a smiling wedge. My used to be meaty butcher is looking very much like the worlds heaviest Wapi. I'm sure from a shaveability perspective I will be fine but I've definitely lost a lot of character.

Happily I am only hurting razors that require deep depitting and rescalling at this point and have not destroyed a mint collectable.

Please help... I have enough wapi's already.


Thanks,
Bob

To my knowledge a good instructional video on how to hone a smiling razor (wedge or hollow-ground) does not exist...yet. I am going to attempt to make a straight razor honing video at the Southern California Straight Razor Get-Together, and this is one of the topics that I plan on covering. Many people have tried to explain the rolling hone stroke, but it is difficult to understand by reading. If a picture is worth a thousand words than I think a good video would be worth a lot more.

David,

It just occurred to me that a three or four pictures with subsequent position of the razor during a rolling stroke may help until the video. I was thinking of drawing a schematics (as much as I understand the stroke) similar to the honing instructions in the barbers manual, but then I thought a few snapshots may be nicer. Of course that'll mean somebody has to take the pictures.

Or we can just wait a couple of months and get the video.

Originally Posted by gugi

David,

It just occurred to me that a three or four pictures with subsequent position of the razor during a rolling stroke may help until the video. I was thinking of drawing a schematics (as much as I understand the stroke) similar to the honing instructions in the barbers manual, but then I thought a few snapshots may be nicer. Of course that'll mean somebody has to take the pictures.

Or we can just wait a couple of months and get the video.

I could try that in the mean time, but a video would be much easier to learn from.

Do you strop a smiling blade as a normal one?

Don't forget to follow-up on this one when you have a camera.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who could use the visual.

Thanks,
Bob

I've been waiting with baited breath for David's video. When he does put it out, it absolutely will be appreciated and will rank up there with any current visual aid we have available DVD or otherwise that will help with honing.

Thanks for offering to do this, David. I can't wait.

Chris L

In my humble opinion, Wapi's (all two of them that I own) are incredibly easy to hone. I only have one wedge but I have lots of other ebay razors that have smiles, frowns, and a couple with warped spines. I have found that the solution to all of these problems is solved by honing on the side, rather than the face, of my hones. That is the reason that I sprung for the single grit Nortons rather than the dual grit hones. Honing on the narrower face is more challenging to keep the blade flat but it allows the hone to make contact with the full length of the blade. It makes honing those problem razors much easier.

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

To my knowledge a good instructional video on how to hone a smiling razor (wedge or hollow-ground) does not exist...yet. I am going to attempt to make a straight razor honing video at the Southern California Straight Razor Get-Together, and this is one of the topics that I plan on covering. Many people have tried to explain the rolling hone stroke, but it is difficult to understand by reading. If a picture is worth a thousand words than I think a good video would be worth a lot more.

Excellent David, look forward to that.