Honing Newbs... Don't Fear the Wedge

Hey guys,

It finally came time to touch up my large Wostenholm wedge; the shaves started dropping off in quality, and ATG from my throat to my chin became impossible as even a mighty wedge would stop dead in its tracks trying to mow down my stubble.

A lot has been said about honing wedges and the skills needed, or at least about the perception that wedges are a lot tougher to work with. This, IMO, can lead to some hesitancy from a honer new to wedges. At least this was the case for me, as the rest of my razors go from very hollow to just-below-3/4 hollow. I was in new territory on this one, but figured I should give it a go before sending it out.

To summarize, I taped the spine with one layer and performed exactly 100 laps on my coticule, water w/dish soap only. I thought I'd try this first before dropping down to slurry. TPT and arm hair shaving capabilities seemed great, so it was time for the test shave.

Though I'm not (completely) new to honing/touch ups (I've had good results with my hollows) this honing session held a number of firsts for me:

-I had to use a rolling-x stroke, as the blade has a smile and doesn't sit flat on the hone
-I employed a 45 degree, heel-leading stroke (used at the same time as the rolling-x), which may not be a big deal for most members, but when when you have to learn both techniques at the same time, well, let's just say it makes for an interesting session.
-I shaved right of the coticule for the first time, instead of hitting it with chrome before the shave.

And finally, after 40 linen and 80 leather, the results......

A surprisingly smooth, very close & comfortable shave. My expectations were low, so I was very happy with the end results. Next shave I'll do a few laps of chrome-on-balsa for an even better edge. I was particularily surprised how good the shave was right off the coticule as I know how some members feel about them.

So the moral of the story? Don't let the size or grind or a razor intimidate you from trying to hone it yourself.

As well, if it weren't for the great honing info here at SRP I would not have produced as fine an edge as I did.

Cheers,

Ryan

Did u use a rolling X or a 45 degree, or both? If so why both?

touching up is the way to go!

smiles and wedges are not much harder to maintain, now warped blades, messed up geometry, and poor temper, honing those from scratch that's where failure happens.

I used both. The rolling-x allowed the entire edge to touch the hone, and I used the 45 degree stroke because the experts recommend it for full wedges.

So I guess you could call it the 45 degree-rolling-x stroke.

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Originally Posted by gugi

touching up is the way to go!

smiles and wedges are not much harder to maintain, now warped blades, messed up geometry, and poor temper, honing those from scratch that's where failure happens.

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I should mention that I just maintain my edges. Now if it was a full honing job, straight from scratch, this thread might have been a lot different :)

Honestly though, the touch up was fairly easy, and I do recommend newbs try themselves before sending out their razors.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

I should mention that I just maintain my edges. Now if it was a full honing job, straight from scratch, this thread might have been a lot different :)

Honestly though, the touch up was fairly easy, and I do recommend newbs try themselves before sending out their razors.

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Way to go Ryan have a beer :beer2:

This is exactly the way to do it man, take a shave ready razor that is now dull and learn to hone off that... Kudos man...

Glad that it went well for you. :tu

I've found that my honing stroke has gradually been evolving, and what I've found to yield the most consistent stroke is one where I combine holding the razor at a bit of an angle (heel leading) and a slight rolling X-pattern. It works well for the couple of smiling razors I've used too, hits the entire length of the razor every time.

To be honest, I LOVE touching up edges, and probably do it before I really need to just as an excuse to use my hones. I like sharpening with synthetics and finishing with naturals, so when it comes to touch-ups, I only get out my naturals. :D

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Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

Glad that it went well for you. :tu

I've found that my honing stroke has gradually been evolving, and what I've found to yield the most consistent stroke is one where I combine holding the razor at a bit of an angle (heel leading) and a slight rolling X-pattern. It works well for the couple of smiling razors I've used too, hits the entire length of the razor every time.

To be honest, I LOVE touching up edges, and probably do it before I really need to just as an excuse to use my hones. I like sharpening with synthetics and finishing with naturals, so when it comes to touch-ups, I only get out my naturals. :D

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Thanks Dave. I think I remember reading a while ago about the merits of using a heel-leading stroke for any blade, smiling/wedge or otherwise. Can't remember off the top of my head who it was, Glen perhaps?

In any event I haven't experimented much with alternative strokes, until now at least, as a regular perpendicular x-stroke will usually suffice. I did find it easier to learn the rolling-x with a larger blade, as my Wosty is 15/16" at it's widest.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Thanks Dave. I think I remember reading a while ago about the merits of using a heel-leading stroke for any blade, smiling/wedge or otherwise. Can't remember off the top of my head who it was, Glen perhaps?

In any event I haven't experimented much with alternative strokes, until now at least, as a regular perpendicular x-stroke will usually suffice. I did find it easier to learn the rolling-x with a larger blade, as my Wosty is 15/16" at it's widest.

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My intuition tells me that it would be easier to learn certain honing strokes using a larger blade. It's easier to keep the blade flat on the hone and to have better control over the stroke since it feels more stable. Well that's what I've found in my limited experience. :D

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Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

My intuition tells me that it would be easier to learn certain honing strokes using a larger blade. It's easier to keep the blade flat on the hone and to have better control over the stroke since it feels more stable. Well that's what I've found in my limited experience. :D

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+1 Dave. That's exactly what I have found with my larger blades, and the same goes for stropping, especially my wedge. It has so much momentum that it virtually strops itself :)

BTW - Just for sh*ts and giggles I tried a slight heel-leading stroke when honing one of my 5/8 hollows yesterday afternoon. It seemed to work okay, but I won't be able to tell any differences compared with a perpendicular stroke until I need to hone that razor again. Could be awhile.