Hone in Hand

First, if you hone in hand, make sure that you fingers are BELOW the top surface of the hone. That way you get to keep all of your fingertips intact.

Second, I prefer to not use fingers to hold the hone at all. Just lay the hone on your flat open palm. This has the advantage of allowing some sway in the hone. If you have trouble keeping the razor flat on the hone, the open palm allows the hone to tilt a bit to adjust to an imprecise stroke.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

First, if you hone in hand, make sure that you fingers are BELOW the top surface of the hone. That way you get to keep all of your fingertips intact.

Second, I prefer to not use fingers to hold the hone at all. Just lay the hone on your flat open palm. This has the advantage of allowing some sway in the hone. If you have trouble keeping the razor flat on the hone, the open palm allows the hone to tilt a bit to adjust to an imprecise stroke.

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I love this technique and Utopian taught it to me. Try it. You will be impressed at how well it works. Thanks for sharing it Utopian.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

First, if you hone in hand, make sure that you fingers are BELOW the top surface of the hone. That way you get to keep all of your fingertips intact.

Second, I prefer to not use fingers to hold the hone at all. Just lay the hone on your flat open palm. This has the advantage of allowing some sway in the hone. If you have trouble keeping the razor flat on the hone, the open palm allows the hone to tilt a bit to adjust to an imprecise stroke.

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I hone like that all the time. Always have! And I know exactly why. Back in the day when I got out of butchering college and got my first job cutting meat, I couldn't afford "bench stones."

We used our own knifes and though we had a service come and sharpen on the bosses dime, when I got my brand new boner back thin enough to be considered a fillet knife... I was $#%&- furious! A guy with a grinder does not a freaking knife sharpener make!!

So I bought "pocket" stones. It was all I could afford. I kept them in my coat and used them via the palm when needed. I was the sharpest dude at the store lol!! Of course everyone wanted to use my blades :(.

Anyway, I am used to palm honing. 2x6 works great for me.

Edit - actually, I still have one of those stone to this day. Its 5 by 1.7. I have sharpened cleavers with stones that size lol. And I have used that stone to help set bevils on more than a few 4/8s. :)

I hone on the table until it's time for my real light finishing strokes, then I place the hone on my flat hand...I do not grip it. I find the holding the hone like this versus on the table, provides more tactile feedback.

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Originally Posted by str8razor

How many of you have tried holding the hone in your hand?

I have tried it a few times in the past few days and am finding that I seem to have more of a finesse between the blade and the hone. The pressure is better regulated as the hand seems to move the hone in coordination to the blade. There seems to be more control with holding the blade in constant contact with the hone. The X pattern seems to come easier. You can also move the hone in relation to what the blade is doing. This above method, I believe, works better only if you are applying light pressure. If you are developing a bevel I think that I would place the hone on a table top.

I have had good luck honing with the hone on a table top as most of you have done. Holding a 3 X 8 hone can get a little cumbersome but isn't bad. The little hones like the Barber hones work real well as do the smaller Eschers or Belgians.

One thing you need to watch for in using this method is to watch out you don't come off the end or side of the hone and cut yourself.

Happy Honing................

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I've just started honing recently. My first couple of attempts were really bad ...

I tried with the hone on the bench and couldn't get the blade to stay flat when I was doing X strokes. Now after some experimentation (I'm still a novice at this though) I tend to leave the hone on the bench for setting the bevel (doing circles seems easier on the bench) but then when I have set the bevel I pick up the hone and continue with it in my hand. Like you, I find that it's easier to maintain contact with the whole of the blade if I'm holding the hone.

After bevel setting I use a Shoubudani Type 100, so it's nice and light to hold.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

First, if you hone in hand, make sure that you fingers are BELOW the top surface of the hone. That way you get to keep all of your fingertips intact.

Second, I prefer to not use fingers to hold the hone at all. Just lay the hone on your flat open palm. This has the advantage of allowing some sway in the hone. If you have trouble keeping the razor flat on the hone, the open palm allows the hone to tilt a bit to adjust to an imprecise stroke.

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Thanks. When I've tried it I was gripping the stone with my fingers well below the surface of the stone. I just looked and saw that's an excels t way to lop off a fingertip! I'll try it just resting in my palm next time

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Originally Posted by Wayne1963

I hone on the table until it's time for my real light finishing strokes, then I place the hone on my flat hand...I do not grip it. I find the holding the hone like this versus on the table, provides more tactile feedback.

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+1 I keep the larger stones (8x3) in a holder on the coffee table. I then go through my nagura progression (on an ozuku ~8X2) on the table as well. When I get to water only or nearly dry super light strokes, I put it in my palm. I find the ability to control the water very useful.

Chris