Thread: Significant disadvantage of X-pattern or i do it incorrectly ?

Unfortunately my hones are narrower than the lenght of blades of my razors so i have to employ X-patten when honing. I noticed that it causes irregular metal removal from the spine. The most metal is removed from the middle of the spine and it looks "flat" there. However, this effect appears mainly on one side of the spine; the second side looks better (the abrasion effect is more regular). The irregularity of the spine translates also on bevel unevenness which in turn makes honing more difficult. There is also another thing that bothers me. Namely, when performing a stroke on the hone the the heel touches it for much shorter time than the rest of the blade. This causes worse sharpness of the heel. Can these problems be corrected or do i have to get wider hones ?

im new to honing, so im sure other people will help, but what i do is use tape to stop the wear, and with my x stroke, i vary it to cover different parts of the blade,

biggest help for me has been a perm texter and drawing on the blade, then do a stroke and you can see how much of it was removed, this gives me an idea of how even my stroke is, and if i need to adjust accordingly

There shouldn't be any problems with a hone that's narrower than the razor, you'll just have to learn to use the x-pattern, and/or the rolling x-pattern as it's more convenient on older razors with smiling blades.

What kind of razor are you trying to hone, and is it possible for you to post a picture of it?

which side is it? the push or the pull stroke.

Everyone; I believe, whether they know it or not, has a bias when honing. A strong or weak portion of the stroke that needs some slight effort to compensate for.

The flat surface of the hone will have no difficulty identifying any inconsistencies of grind or warp when using a consistent even stroke. I have been lucky with the dozen or so vintage razors I have with no warp or other odd-ball problems.

It could be though that you are having issues with the application of force. I try to apply a slight twisting force to the stroke which lightens abrasion on the spine while directing it toward the edge. Also as the stroke progresses I try to alter the area where the force is applied. So that it "feels" like the "force"," pressure" transitions from heel, to middle, to toe.

This seems to be especially good at getting the heel and toe, with the middle falling behind. To compensate for this I hold the razor, perpendicular to the stone and do something more like a perpendicular sliding X. so when one area falls behind you make an extra stroke design to catch up.

For balancing, evening out, I end on each stone with a series of very light even strokes mimicking the strokes i will make on the finish hone. Each finer stone in the progression gets less directed stokes and more even balanced strokes so that by the time i get to the finish hone that is all it needs.

Still i have a bias at the end of my push stroke that gives me a slightly wider bevel on that side at the toe.

It is, as many realize, very difficult to describe. this may not be the problem at all. I advocate taking an active role in sharpening- making sharpness happen via light directed pressure. As I see it using weightless, even strokes throughout the progression is a passive technique.

First off I tape my spines with one layer of electrical tape to avoid wear on the spine. There are varying opinions on that practice but I think the general consensus is that it won't have a negative effect on the geometry.

I also have noticed a difference in my pulling and pushing strokes. I had to learn to consciously equalize the strokes. I use pressure in setting bevels and then ease up when I am honing the razor for sharpness and for polishing. Experienced honers on this forum have pointed out that the less pressure you use the sharper the razor will get. If you are wearing the spine that much I would guess you are using a fair amount of pressure.

For a really good explanation of the X pattern I went ot the help files in the tool bar at the top of the page and downloaded and printed out this barber manuel excerpt on honing. It describes how to put a bit more pressure on the heel and the point to avoid putting a frown in the center of the blade.

Narrow hones, as kevint said, are useful for smiling blades and blades with warped spines. Many honers prefer them to 3" hones and will actually cut them to 1" or 1 1/2". Check out the barber manuals and maybe Lynn's and Heavysquare's video tutorials. Lot of good stuff to go with there.

I'm always at such a loss as to the abuse the poor x pattern takes. It would seem to me that an x pattern wouldn't inherently cause any excessive wear in the center of the spine, nor especially on only one side.

Soon the x pattern will likely be blamed for the economic downturn as well.

Could we not take up a collection some day for the common defense of the x pattern?

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Could we not take up a collection some day for the common defense of the x pattern?

I totally support the X pattern but I am against a bailout .

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I totally support the X pattern but I am against a bailout .

My granddad thought me to sharpen knives 30 years ago, using what I now know as the x-pattern, so it's always made sense to me, but the bailouts, no, you reap what you sow.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I'm always at such a loss as to the abuse the poor x pattern takes. It would seem to me that an x pattern wouldn't inherently cause any excessive wear in the center of the spine, nor especially on only one side.

On a narrow hone, the center of the blade is always in contact with the hone during the entire stroke, while the toe and heel are only in contact briefly. This will lead to a frowning blade unless the pressure is altered during the stroke.

Originally Posted by Utopian

On a narrow hone, the center of the blade is always in contact with the hone during the entire stroke, while the toe and heel are only in contact briefly. This will lead to a frowning blade unless the pressure is altered during the stroke.

The barber manual honing chapter here in the help files addresses this. It says to put a bit more pressure at the heel and toe during the stroke. It is a very informative read with the basics very well presented. I printed it out and have about wore it out re- reading it.