Thread: Why use an X-pattern on a wide hone?

Hi all, another question from a newbie honer.

If you have wide stones, such as the norton's, is there a reason to do an X-pattern when the stone is as wide as the razor? I couldn't think of a reason why you'd need to but wanted to see if I'm missing something obvious.

Cheers.

The X-pattern mitigates the uneven pressures applied to the blade by your hand and also compensates for a less than perfectly flat or uniformly textured hone. At least this is how I interepret the practice. If everything were perfectly steady and flat and uniform we could do the I rather than the X, but then there would be no honemeister mystery. And wouldn't that be a bummer?

Originally Posted by Bruce

The X-pattern mitigates the uneven pressures applied to the blade by your hand and also compensates for a less than perfectly flat or uniformly textured hone. At least this is how I interepret the practice.

Originally Posted by SteveS

Even with a perfectly flat hone, many blades are not perfectly straight, so the entire length of the blade does not contact the stone at the same time. By using an x-stroke, you improve the odds (considerably!) of having the entire length of the blade's edge contact the hone at some point during the stroke.

+1

You also get the striations in the direction shown in barber manuals and most hone instructions. In theory that will give smoother cutting while shaving.

I tried it with straight 90 degree-to-edge striations and "barber manual" style. My results agreed with the theory.

I have a related question: When honing in the "barber manual" style on an 8 x 3 hone, would not the top half (or tip half) or so end up with more cumulative contact time with the hone than the bottom half, since the top is in contact with the stone during the entire lap?

Originally Posted by RayG

I have a related question: When honing in the "barber manual" style on an 8 x 3 hone, would not the top half (or tip half) or so end up with more cumulative contact time with the hone than the bottom half, since the top is in contact with the stone during the entire lap?

The base gets a little more pressure to compensate. I sometimes find the tip a little sharper but its nice having the base a little more rigid for the chin and the tip a little sharper for fine work.

I like to use the x pattern also because pulling a razor without using pressure is easier than pushing it down the hone without applying pressure.

An x pattern is a very efficient manner of applying the striations consistently at the correct angle without excessive manuevering when you flip the blade over. You could just angle the blade (in the inverse angle as the diagram above) but you'd be flipping the blade in a lot of excess motion compared to just using an x pattern. Its kind of anti-climatic if the x pattern isn't some magical solution but it could just be that its the most efficient overall travel path.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

The base gets a little more pressure to compensate. I sometimes find the tip a little sharper but its nice having the base a little more rigid for the chin and the tip a little sharper for fine work.

Makes sense. Thanks.

The serrations and scallops of a serrated knife as far as I've ever seen are perpendicular to a knife's edge. Typically a serrated knife cuts in a parallel sawing motion so the serrations are perpendicular to the object being cut.

Barbers looking down on a customer from above would shave with the toe edge leading (I use the heel leading at an angle unless someone can explain to me how I would shave toe leading on my own face) at angle rather than a perpendicular sawing motion (like my knife example above).

So.........perpendicular serrations on a serrated knife cutting the surface of an object perpendicularly (is that a word?) when cutting straight down.

But.......angled striations on a razor from X pattern honing cutting the whiskers with the razor angled = serrations/striations cutting the whiskers....perpendicularly? (the angled striations and the angled blade cutting motion canceling each other out?).

Just a thought. And to that, why AREN'T knife serrations angled if the simple fact would be that angled striations (same as the scallops on a serrated knife really) cut better?

Chris L

You don't have to but for some reason it seems togive a more consistant edge when you do. Someone else might be able to give a technical explanation as to why it works better, I just know that it seems to make for better honing.

I'm not going to answer your question but give you something else to think about. Look at your edge under sufficient magnification when it's freshly honed and you will see, among other things, 2 primary features: fineness of scratches, and direction of scratches.

For a razor, I'm not positive if scratches perpendicular to the edge are ideal, or if angled ones are. I suspect the latter may have a small advantage when it comes to stropping.

I have a related question:

Why do the X pattern on a hone narrower than the razor, and not simply move the razor over the stone at a say 30-45 degree angle (whatever it takes to make the blade fit the stone), keeping all of the blade in contact at once?