Thread: Honing with one or two hands

Learned using both hands and continue to hone that way. X's, straight up and down the hone, circles, etc. all dependent on the needs of the blade. I am right handed so my left thumb just lays centered on the tip of the blade and my forefinger just touches the spine, feather weight touch all around. At 65 years of age my hands are not steady enough to make one hand work successfully.

Pre bevel setting and half strokes, I use two hands. I find that by the time I'm on to the 1K, I'm at the 1 hand style. All the patterns/strokes from 1K to finishing are one handed, regardless.

However, I did begin with two hands. I found it incredibly difficult to keep the razor steady, and have a fluid motion with one hand. Eventually, I developed the muscle memory needed to do this, and re-taught myself with the one handed style.

I like the feedback and water observations I get from the one handed method, especially on the narrower hones.

When I first started honing more than 2 years ago, I used both. Now I just use one hand unless I'm grinding out chips or in the very early stages of bevel setting (sometimes--depends on the razor & how much work I have to do). All the rest, I just use one hand. FWIW, I generally prefer to hold the hone in my other hand, but it depends on the stone, too.

The problem w/ going straight down the hone is it's harder to assure even contact, the whole length of the blade. No razor (even those that seem perfectly even on the hone) actually is perfect; there are always some small inconsistencies in any blade--the x-stroke helps to get around this. This is not like stropping where you might be able to do away w/ the x-stroke on the wider strops if you like--hones have no give to them.