Thread: What about the heel?

In all the honing videos I have watched, the blade is drawn diagonally down and across the stone. This takes the heel off the hone very early, leaving progressively more time on the hone right up to the toe, which stays on the hone all the way through the stroke. Won't this cause the heel of the blade to be much less refined than the toe? Even worse, will this cause the toe to wear faster than the heel, causing the dreaded "smile"? FYI: I am a complete newbie.

This a common misconception and an easy one to understand. The truth is that the distance the tip of the blade is from your hand, the applier of force, the heel needs little time there.

It should be pointed out that a smile is generally preferred, but the blade should curve gently and evenly. Such a blade (and I contend that all blades do) demands something recently referred to as the Rolling X. It's a traditional barber hone style technique. I did a video that shows the stroke. I start each stroke with the heel in good contact with the blade and gently roll that point of contact along the edge to the tip for the end. Here -> http://straightrazorpalace.com/basic...rber-hone.html

I think you were referring to a 'smirk' perhaps where the tip is over worn. I sometimes refer to this as a 'stubbed toe'.

X

Originally Posted by mbrennan

Won't this cause the heel of the blade to be much less refined than the toe? Even worse, will this cause the toe to wear faster than the heel, causing the dreaded "smile"?

Try it and see what happens!