Thread: How to get the best out of your hone.

I'm a two handed honer as well and the edge is greatly controlled by pushing with one hand while holding the blade down with three fingers spread across the edge of the blade. Yes I use some pressure and that's because steel is hard and waterstones are soft. I do the same with ceramic Shaptons, Belgians, and DMTs as well. The three finger spread is especially useful if the blade has a little twist in it. Holding it down on the stone is easier than lifting and freehanding it to get the twisted part sharp.

Originally Posted by Howard

I'm a two handed honer as well and the edge is greatly controlled by pushing with one hand while holding the blade down with three fingers spread across the edge of the blade. Yes I use some pressure and that's because steel is hard and waterstones are soft. I do the same with ceramic Shaptons, Belgians, and DMTs as well. The three finger spread is especially useful if the blade has a little twist in it. Holding it down on the stone is easier than lifting and freehanding it to get the twisted part sharp.

Howard, you're not here as often as some, but I really enjoy your posts and find them useful. I tried to give you some "rep" points, but the system won't let me(?). Thanks!

Originally Posted by jnich67

Howard, you're not here as often as some, but I really enjoy your posts and find them useful. ...

+ 1000.

Cheers,
Viktor

Originally Posted by jnich67

Howard, you're not here as often as some, but I really enjoy your posts and find them useful. I tried to give you some "rep" points, but the system won't let me(?). Thanks!

Another +1 for Howard and the same kudos to AFDavis11. When either of these gentlemen post I read them.

I have only used soap on the DMT. Twenty years ago when I was collecting straights and frequenting barber shops in the Newark, NJ area I asked some of the old guys how they honed their razors.

They used yellow coticules with the soap from there Lather King machines. One of them referred to the coticule as a "soap stone".

I started out as a two handed honer because I found it difficult to keep the blade flat using light pressure and only one hand. Watching Lynn's DVD I became determined to become expert in one handed honing. I don't know if I am an expert yet but I am a one handed honer and I can keep it flat with the weight of the blade and get them sharp enough to shave me.

I hone with one hand, and always hold the hone in my off hand (whether it's a coticule or a shapton). I just can't get comfy honing wiht the hone flat on the table, need to elevate it angle with my left hand. Is this odd? Help me keep contact across the blade because i'm hlding the hone to blade and blade to hone. This reminds me of my childhood arguments on the pros and cons of left hand involvement with my jumpshot.

Originally Posted by majurey

Yes, that had me scratching my head too, because I've since tried it again twice and both times the lather mix on the hone goes visibly grey!

It must be a trick of the light. Because everything else (including the final polished edge) says the soap makes the honing less aggressive. I think with water only it's more difficult to see any metal mixed in, but once you have a little opacity (such as lather suds) you notice the clean white lather changing grey much more than you would see swarf in water-only.

That's the only reasonable conclusion I can come to.

In addition, the swarf probably accumulates more since the lather does not run off the hone and blade like water does.

I normally do OK using one hand to guide the razor, but the other day I just couldn't keep it right, I kept lifting the toe off the hone. Maybe I was tired. If it happens again I'll be sure to use plenty of soap or lather. (Normally I just use water with a tiny bit of washing up liquid purely for the detergent effect.)

Don't think I could bring myself to put a good shaving brush on a hone though. Shaving with swarf doesn't sound like fun. I'll use my fingers to put lather on the hone.

Lots of good results from the soapy water trick. I use a Norton 4k/8k.

1. The water is more viscous and more visible, so that I can better visually track what's happening where the edge meets the hone.

2. It's so slickery! With water alone, I tend to get choppy skips and hops, especially on the courser 4k side. With soapy water, the blade glides ever so much more easily.

3. The overall result is a lighter touch. I am making far fewer errors, and the blade is finishing off the 8k side much more evenly sharp than I've been able to manage in the past. I've gone from misery to confidence when preparing to hone.

Cheers to English!

I use one hand too. My index finger is on the top of the shank, as in one of the old barber manuals, since I think I can more easily feel what the edge is doing that way.

I seem to get better results when the hone is handheld.

I use some lather on my barber hone (swaty) as well. I've never tried soap on my Norton though. This sounds interesting...