Thread: Half Stroke?

Originally Posted by Danricgro

So correct me if Im wrong but as someone very new to honing I should forget about half strokes and work on mastering the X-stroke. I am using the Norton 220/1k, 4k/8k and a Naniwa 12k. On the few razors I have honed I test shave off the 8k and do not move on to the 12k till the shave is comfortable off the 8k. Any other advice is more than welcome.

P.S. I hoped to get a couple of responses on this thread and it has turned into a great discussion. Learning alot. Thanks men,

With your setup, I'd focus on:

* Learning what a truly set bevel feels like
* X strokes
* Circles

in that order. The dirty (not so) secret thing about honing is that great edges are 90% what happens at the bevel setting stage and 10% what you do after that. We all focus on the esoterica associated with our preferred stones, but when push comes to shove many will admit that the differences aren't as significant as it may seem.

Plus, at the end of the day, many go from their expensive stones to a really inexpensive pasted strop setup to finish the edge to their preference... Point is, just like a house, make sure you're working on a good foundation, and everything will be fine

Originally Posted by decraew

Or bouts. I have a Les Latneuses coticule bout which is useless except when doing circles.

What's the deal with these Les Latneuses Stones. I've heard that vein a lot lately, Are they the latest and greatest, or just what's being pushed these days....I've must have heard that vein name 10x this week from different guys...

I'm assuming someone on Coticule.be said what a great edge they got off one....? Your saying yours is not the great.....

I'm curious....PM me....

Thanks....

Rich

Originally Posted by zib

What's the deal with these Les Latneuses Stones. I've heard that vein a lot lately, Are they the latest and greatest, or just what's being pushed these days....I've must have heard that vein name 10x this week from different guys...

I'm assuming someone on Coticule.be said what a great edge they got off one....? Your saying yours is not the great.....

I'm curious....PM me....

Thanks....

Rich

Rich,

Bart made the comment that the les latneuses was a fast cutting stone, and the other side is a marbly coticule that tends to leave a very smooth edge that some guys prefer. Plus they look cool... No one ever said they are the best, but he said he preferred them for the almost magnetic feeling of the razor on the stone...

That lead to several guys getting the idea that they are the absolute best strata of coticule available, and there has been a huge demand for them... I have one, but I still use my La Petite Blanche stones over them.

They do leave a nice edge though...

Best,

Paul

Originally Posted by zib

What's the deal with these Les Latneuses Stones. I've heard that vein a lot lately, Are they the latest and greatest, or just what's being pushed these days....I've must have heard that vein name 10x this week from different guys...

I'm assuming someone on Coticule.be said what a great edge they got off one....? Your saying yours is not the great.....

When visiting Ardennes, I had the chance to test out some hones. I finally picked two Les Latneuses, one 12.5 x 3cm, one bout. Because after a brief test (half strokes for half a minute or so) they appeared to be very fast cutters. I used them at home and the two I have are effectively fast cutting coticules that leave a very comfortable edge. However, I don't like the bout that much because of its dimensions (sides are 9cm, 7.8cm, 6.7cm and 6.4cm) which makes it less practical to use as far as I'm concerned.

However, I'm not sure that every Les Latneuses will show these characteristics. If I remember correctly, two other bouts were tested and they seemed slower and gave different feedback. These other bouts were from a different batch however.

Btw Paul, I prefer my Les Latneuses over my La Petite Blanche, but mainly because my LPB is a 6x20cm stone which is just not that practical. They both give me great edges.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

IMHO, master the rolling X stroke first then move on to the other strokes to see where they fit in the honing progression.

Hope this helps,

St. Paul Posse in da house!

Yeah, as my official real-life mentor says, the proper honing technique foundation is in the almighty X-stroke. It's the beginning and the end of my honing of str8s. Actually, now that I'm deep into it, getting consistent scratch patterns from heel to toe (60x-100x microscope), I've only used the circles for refreshing the edge of a razor that needs a light touch-up, and then the circles are because I am intimately aware, being the only user of the open razor, that the toe was used far less than the middle portion of the blade.

There's not much point in experimenting with lots of alternative or exotic honing techniques/schemes if you haven't familiarized yourself with the basic X-stroke.