Thread: How do you hone?

I'm asking because I've seen a video in which guy hones with two hands and going straight down the hone, not making x pattern.
So I'm interested how many of you hone with one hand doing x and how many are using two hands going straight down the hone.

Depends on the hones and the razors for me. Modern US build razors on the norton 4/8k get the regular X unless they are short for some reason but I rarely go straight down.

After that my regular maintainance stones are 1 and a half inches wide and fit in my hand so the X again is prefered but it's very modified to the razors needs...

Oh ya one handed...

The usual method is to use one hand and an X pattern, but there are those who use two like you say.

There are a couple of possible problems I can see with that two handed method though. It would be very easy to apply too much pressure and you'd need to be sure that the hone was perfectly flat and the razors edge totally true or you'd end up with uneven contact on the hone. This could result in a frowning or smiling edge, or dull spots along the razors edge. I also imagine it would also be difficult or impossible to do a rolling X pattern (if you needed to) with a two handed method. YMMV of course.

I hone one handed and it works very well for me!

for bevel setting: Two handed with the stone on the counter so I can lean on that razor if I need to.

for finishing: one handed, with the stone in hand.

Circles, x-pattern, back and forth... it just depends how the bevel looks while I'm honing.

I do circles for bevel setting along with the x pattern as Lynn shows in the razor con '09 video followed by the X pattern for regular honing once the bevel is set. Always one hand for honing.

I used to use 1 hand, but find that by using two I get much better control over the blade. The second hand helps me notice when I am putting too much pressure on the toe.

My honing results have gotten much better since I began using this method.

I do the hard work using circles, but always one handed, whilst the other holds the hone. After that, always an X.
When I started out I used two hands. It was easier to maintain contact, but I have seen my honing improve dramatically since I stopped.

There's really all kinds of ways to do it and depending on what your trying to accomplish and the razor and the hone you are using they can all be correct. In general for most honing we recommend one hand and an X pattern. As has been said for most folks using two hands can lead to uneven bevels.

going straight down the hone works only for razors with absolutely straight edge, no smile whatsoever by design or from honing (that's straightforward geometry). practically all vintage razors have a slight curvature by design, so that wouldn't work on them, unless they're seriously 'messed up'.

Originally Posted by gugi

going straight down the hone works only for razors with absolutely straight edge, no smile whatsoever by design or from honing (that's straightforward geometry). practically all vintage razors have a slight curvature by design, so that wouldn't work on them, unless they're seriously 'messed up'.

I've caught myself from buying a few of those

Once I got that scything X down my vitage blades hone up soo much faster