1 Attachment(s)
Exercise: flat honing stroke
Sometimes you want the razor to stay flat on the hone throughout your honing stroke (or most of it). This can be hard to do when using a light razor on a heavy hone, especially for a new user. The "feel" or feedback through the hand holding the razor can be tough to judge. At other times you just want to keep the razor's edge from running over the very edge of the hone. So...
I've been testing/using a W4EE lately as a replacement for the D8EE. Using it, you can clearly feel, in the hand holding the hone, when the razor is flat or bearing on either edge of the hone. To practice it, all that's really needed is something about 1" wide x 4" or more long x thick enough to keep a razor from cutting your fingers. e.g. Like a 6" ruler's smooth side, strip of thick leather, etc... Stropping the surface seems to train the hand just as well as edge-leading. Both hands get feedback from the "razor pressure" this way.
For me, holding method #1 offers better sensitivity.
Attachment 19136
Using this small hone for razors has noticeably (and rapidly) improved my final honing stroke on all my hones. So far: the more I use this small W4EE, the closer my D8EE is getting to retirement.