Thread: 45 degree angle

When you are doing 45 degree angle for honing a smiley or a blade where the heal and toe not making full contact. Do you hone keeping edge totaly flat ?or start with heal and spine flat then following the stroke through?. I find even though i change the angle i still don't hit the heal un less i start with heal on the hone then gradualy roll through the stroke with 45 degree angle. How do you guys get your razors to sit flat just i found just latley i have brough my self a couple of very nice not cheap razors and one side nice and flat flip it over and the other sideone end does'nt sit flat no where need i have found x pattern works for this and following the ripple of wate in front of my edge and alter ing my angle or raising slightly works very well. I think this also can make honing very hard for some one just starting to hone.As they may be honing and being careful in keeping blade very flat and wondering why its not getting sharp in certain areas.
A lot of the time they probably don't realize the edge is not contacting the hone it caught me out when i first started. That is why i religously use marker its a great indicator

The marker is a great indicator. Whether a 45 degree angle or not if the edge isn't in contact with the hone then you're spinning you're wheels. I manipulate it so that it is in contact throughout the stroke.

I'm still a novice at honing, and I know for certain that many people would say I'm doing it wrong, but I just do what works for me.

What I do when I'm honing a razor with a big smile, is I start at a 45 with the heel leading, and one finger of my left hand on each end of the blade to stabilize it heel down.

Then I hone with a scything motion so that the toe is leading by the end of the stroke, always keeping the forward most part of the blade in tight contact with the hone. With a big smile, there's no way to keep the entire edge on the hone at all times AFAIK.

If I understand correctly, what I'm doing is sort of a cross between the 45 degree stroke and the rolling X.


Also, before anybody cries noob for using pressure, I don't. My off-hand fingers are only there to stabilize things and apply little to no pressure. Meanwhile, I don't apply any downward pressure at all with the tang. So, I believe I'm getting just about the same amount of pressure as anyone else (Just a hair more than the weight of the blade) but I'm doing it in a way that I personally find to be more consistent.

Yes it sounds like your using rolling x but guiding with your fingers thats fine like you say you are keeping pressure minimal

I'm same as you jim marker and roll to razors needs keeping spine flat wheather rolling etc. I just carn't understand why new razors i've had latley don't ly flat having said that i find most need slight ajusting when honing. my ti with barbers notch the ****s up one side is flat the bevel is thicker in the middle the toe has an invisable bevel and the heal is wider bevel looks like who ever honed it from factoryused too much uneven pressure if i honed one of my razors and ended up with a bevel like that i'd be a little pisted of.Even though the razor shaves nice i gave it 50 laps on ch12k then stropped and straight away i could feel the extra smoothness realy nice razor even though the bevel is so uneven to look at good thing is its that wide i don't need my loop.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

I'm still a novice at honing, and I know for certain that many people would say I'm doing it wrong, but I just do what works for me.

What I do when I'm honing a razor with a big smile, is I start at a 45 with the heel leading, and one finger of my left hand on each end of the blade to stabilize it heel down.

Then I hone with a scything motion so that the toe is leading by the end of the stroke, always keeping the forward most part of the blade in tight contact with the hone. With a big smile, there's no way to keep the entire edge on the hone at all times AFAIK.

If I understand correctly, what I'm doing is sort of a cross between the 45 degree stroke and the rolling X.


Also, before anybody cries noob for using pressure, I don't. My off-hand fingers are only there to stabilize things and apply little to no pressure. Meanwhile, I don't apply any downward pressure at all with the tang. So, I believe I'm getting just about the same amount of pressure as anyone else (Just a hair more than the weight of the blade) but I'm doing it in a way that I personally find to be more consistent.

Sounds like Sham's "half moon" stroke. If it works for you, mate, then that's what counts. I'm still struggling with smilers, but I am getting there. I keep ending up with uneven honewear, though, which drives me nuts...

I've honed 3 smiling blades with this method, 2 that were moderately smiling, and one great big smiling Frederick Reynolds wedge with a great big smile. So far, my results have been consistent and that wedge is my current favorit shaver.


Well, it was my favorite until I went too fast stropping yesterday and rolled the edge. I guess I'll be taking that one back to the hones.