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I'm finding that the way I hold the razor has a major effect on whether I'm able to keep the blade flat on the stone throughout each stroke.
What is the best way to grip the razor?
Do you hold the hone in your hand or rest it on a workbench?
I'm using 4/8K Japanese waterstones, and to this point I've been laying them on a desk while I work. I've had trouble keeping the edge from rising off the stone toward the end of the first part of the X-stroke.
My experience . . .
I base my decision on whether to hold the hone in my hand or on the desk top by assessing the weight of the hone. Nortons go on the desk, barber hones go in the hand (size is also a contributor to this need). I usually hold Jap waterstones in my hand as I prefer the control, but desktop would be an option too. I can only offer two immediate thoughts. One, I curl my pinky under the scales and use my index and thumb as the fulcrum and use upward pressure (with pinky) to hold the razor down in the event that the weight of the blade is not enough. Two, once applied to the desk it takes grand experience and practice to use equal pressure on each side of the blade. Truely focus on honing while the stone is on the desk and you'll see that either the pulling (or sideways) motion, or the pushing (or backways) motion will always yield a slight imperceptable change in pressure. I'm not saying that you shouldn't put the stone on a table top, merely that you must be very cognizant of the pressure applied in each direction. The pressure must be equal though.
If your at the point in the beginning where a little pressure is called for its all not too important.
Thats what I do now, anyway. I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice on this question.
Smaller hones have felt more comfortable in my hand, but I put my larger watersones on the counter.
I make sure my thumb rests on the blade side of the shank on the top of the razor and that my forefinger contacts the spine side of the shank from underneath. That way I've got equal torque traveling in both directions.
X
I only use the larger stones and they are on the table. I hold the shank of the razor with one hand and keep the index finger of my other hand very very gently on the toe of the razor as a guide only but do not exert any pressure on the razor.
Even though X showed me on the Norton, it really helped my technique with the slipstones. Just do what he told you :D