Thread: Finally, one handed honing!

Hey everyone,

So I'm still a newbie at honing, but have gotten decent at it. I've always had to use two hands while honing to keep the entire blade on the hone. In the past I've tried several times only using one hand, without much luck, the blade always seemed to lift off the hone somehow. So I don't know what it was about tonight, but I was able to do a complete honing session solely using my right hand. I was able to set the bevel on the 1k, then several strokes on the 4k, then I did a pyramid with the 4k/8k. I didn't have ONE issue with keeping the spine on the hone!!! I was actually able to hone properly without applying any pressure on top! I've seemed to have found the way of holding the razor while honing that works just right for me. It may not be a big deal to some, but it is for me. I actually had fun honing tonight! Just thought I'd share my enlightened experience,

Dave

Oh, I also wanted to ask how your guys honed: left-to-right, or back-and-forth?? Honing back-and-forth ( i.e. away from my body, then towards) seems to be the way for me

Dave

When I first started I would go with two hands sometimes. Then I read somewhere on the forum that it was better to use one. I didn't want to develop any bad habits so I immediately started using one hand. I first tried honing sitting in a chair in front of a countertop. I had to lift my shoulder and I got tired quickly and this negatively affected my stroke.

I then tried honing with the stone on my thigh and that was better from the point of view of comfort but it wasn't a stable platform. What I settled on was standing in front of the kitchen sink .

I found this to be the best for me. The counter is stable and my shoulder is relaxed. When I am honing my forearm is parallel with the floor and I can work for an hour without getting tired.

I hone towards my right side and then away from my right side. Trying to keep every stroke even and identical. I like to be consistent with it as I am building muscle memory. I think that in honing like shooting pool your stroke is all important.

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

Oh, I also wanted to ask how your guys honed: left-to-right, or back-and-forth?? Honing back-and-forth ( i.e. away from my body, then towards) seems to be the way for me

Dave

I've tried several different ways and what works best for me is standing, holding the hone in one hand and razor in the other, and stroking away from and towards my body.

Which is weird because I find it easier to strop from side to side.

Congrats on finally getting your neural connections properly wired! You have now established the proper muscle memory so it will be much easier from now on.

As far as how I hone, left to right just didn't work for me. I'm exclusively a back and forth honer. Where I hone is an entirely different matter. I have the hones on a table while I sit in a chair. I have the hones on my thigh. I hold the hone in my hand. It completely varies according to my mood and which hones I am using. (Then again which hone I'm using depends on my mood.) I've even sprawled out on the couch with a towel across my lap to hone while watching a movie.

I sit at the eating bar on my kitchen island, at a tall stool. I have only ever gone away and towards my body.

Those of you that hone on your lap or other locations, how do you deal with keeping the hone wet? I always end up with a big puddle on the counter. Do you use towels or something?

Depends on the hone. I prefer to keep Norton 220, 1k, and 4k hones partially submerged in a pond while honing because A) they dry out much slower that way and B) the water coming off the hone is caught by the pond. For that reason, if I am using a Norton on my thigh then there's a pond on my thigh. When I'm using hones that require less water, I just drape a towel across my lap. If I don't feel like grabbing a towel, I just go ahead and let my leg get wet.

I probably have the weirdest place to hone then..... I have my stones sit on my bathroom counter (so it's ok if the counter gets wet), and I find it to be the perfect sitting height if I sit on the edge on the toilet! Hey, it works for me.

Dave

Originally Posted by dnjrboy

I sit at the eating bar on my kitchen island, at a tall stool. I have only ever gone away and towards my body.

Those of you that hone on your lap or other locations, how do you deal with keeping the hone wet? I always end up with a big puddle on the counter. Do you use towels or something?

I use a small bar towel folded over underneath a piece of that rubberized stuff that Lynn recommends in his DVD. It is kind of like a waffle material and keeps the hone from moving. I use a spray bottle and I don't have a problem with water puddling.

I actually use a cutting board with rubberized feet underneath the stone to keep it from moving around. It also has the side benefit of having all the water puddle under it and it holds it there by the magic of surface tension. Although, when I try and move the cutting board to clean up when I am done, look out.

The dish that I use to soak my stones in is a little deep to actually be used as a pond. Although, it is deep enough to soak 2 stones at the same time. Pyrex dish I found in the cupboard. The wife gave me 'the look' the first time I used it, but she is fine with it now (I think).