Thread: X pattern or Straight Down Poll

Another post made me remember that I have been debating a 2" vs 3" norton for a while. The only reason I can see for getting the 3" is because I can hone straight down instead of the need to use the X pattern (for most of my razors at least)

Without starting a war here, which method do you believe gives you the best results with disregard to the type of razor or type of steel.

I wish I got a 2" Norton right off the bat. I keep worrying about overhoning the toe with this 3" monstrosity. I'll probably get the 2" eventually and sell this one, but I am not that financially fluid atm.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I wish I got a 2" Norton right off the bat. I keep worrying about overhoning the toe with this 3" monstrosity. I'll probably get the 2" eventually and sell this one, but I am not that financially fluid atm.

I had a similar problem with overhoning the heel. Joe Lerch suggested putting the fingers of the hand that does not hold the handle on the spine of the blade and guide it over the hone in the X-pattern. I use two or three fingers slightly spread apart. It worked for me.

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

As several guys have told you, with the wide hone you can do the entire edge at once by moving the blade straight down the stone with heel leading.

Since you're just starting out I also suggest you use two hands. Support the handle in one hand and use the index finger of that hand to move the blade. Use the index finger of the other hand to guide the blade and make sure that you that the tip isn't lifting. Don't press hard with those fingers justguide the blade and keep it in contact with the stone.

After you get some experience and can apply uniform pressure to the blade you can try other ways to hone. But the way I suggested should give you an even edge and will lead to success quickly.

Above in Joe's own words.

The x-pattern on narrow hones is what eliminated that worry for me. Those Japanese slip-stones had to be held together with one hand to achieve a flat honing surface and they cut so slowly that they gave me lots of one-handed honing practice. The problem with using a wide stone with the X pattern is that the toe travels a longer distance over the hone than the heel does. A 2" wide hone gives you more control over this issue.

I voted straight down even though I often use a slight X motion drawing only the heel off the hone. I do this because the heel naturally recieves more and even pressure being so close to the hand whereas the toe has less and more uneven pressure from that pressure diminishing slightly and tending to be less consistent further down the edge. This is why I'm not worried about over honing the tip. I believe good honing technique whether on a smaller or larger hone will deliver consistent results along the edge while bad technique on any stone can cause problems like warping or over wearing a specific part of the edge. At first blush you might think a 2" hone would put the belly of the edge on the stone longer than the heel or the tip and thus wear out the belly more. That's not necessarily true though. More has to do with how you controll the eveness of pressure along the edge. This is your primary concern and should be the focus of your attention. With the 2" hone, there's more to worry about what with part of the blade being off the hone at any time. The 3" hone give you the chance to make instant corrections in rolling pressure without worying about how far the edge is sitting on or off the hone which is why it is recommended for new honers. I'm sure a very experienced honer would have little or no trouble compensating on a 2" hone, but 3" is recommended for your first stone for good reason. I believe Lynn uses a 3".

X

I voted for the X pattern but I have never really tried the straight down method. I just might try it to see what it's like.

Originally Posted by xman

I voted straight down even though I often use a slight X motion drawing only the heel off the hone. I do this because the heel naturally recieves more and even pressure being so close to the hand whereas the toe has less and more uneven pressure from that pressure diminishing slightly and tending to be less consistent further down the edge. This is why I'm not worried about over honing the tip. I believe good honing technique whether on a smaller or larger hone will deliver consistent results along the edge while bad technique on any stone can cause problems like warping or over wearing a specific part of the edge. At first blush you might think a 2" hone would put the belly of the edge on the stone longer than the heel or the tip and thus wear out the belly more. That's not necessarily true though. More has to do with how you controll the eveness of pressure along the edge. This is your primary concern and should be the focus of your attention. With the 2" hone, there's more to worry about what with part of the blade being off the hone at any time. The 3" hone give you the chance to make instant corrections in rolling pressure without worying about how far the edge is sitting on or off the hone which is why it is recommended for new honers. I'm sure a very experienced honer would have little or no trouble compensating on a 2" hone, but 3" is recommended for your first stone for good reason. I believe Lynn uses a 3".

X

Well if Lynn uses it....

I was leaning towards the 3", especially because as we found out in another post that makes Xman unnecessary.....

Can't say, never used the straight down motion, I feel that it would only work for me if I had a hone wider than the length of the blade. As I don't know I abstained.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I wish I got a 2" Norton right off the bat. I keep worrying about overhoning the toe with this 3" monstrosity. I'll probably get the 2" eventually and sell this one, but I am not that financially fluid atm.

If you want to get another stone, fine, but this rationale doesn't make sense. This kind of uneven honing is more likely with a narrow. If you push across the stone carefully it can't happen.

Now, if you insist on the x-pattern, then yes, you will overhone the top part of the blade. That's because the further up a spot is on the blade, the more time it spends on the hone. But you wil have the same problem with a narrower hone unless it's width is less than half the blade length. In fact you'll be honing the middle of the blade the most, which eventually gives you a frown, the worst shape.