Thread: Why X-pattern with a 3" wide Norton?

Lots of good points . . . and some will never be convinced. Personally I hone using an x pattern because every reliable source on the subject says to do it that way.

Ofcourse, if your a serious honer and are achieving the ultimate in sharpness chances are your looking at the big picture: maintaining the exact same angle on the stone during the stroke and not using any unnecessary pressure (like touching the blade with your off hand).

So that would mean moving the blade sideways at the exact same angle down the hone heel leading, both back and forth. Pretty tough without a constantly adjusting wrist position.

You'll notice in the barbers manuals in the help files that it mentions the importance of maintaining a steady wrist while honing, simply because any barbershop supervisor will be able to tell that you have little skill in honing.

So it may just be a simple concept. The x pattern makes it easier; you pull the blade off the hone with your stationary wrist (and arm) as opposed to pushing it across and constantly manuevering your wrist.

Gee Howard just when I thought I had this all figured out you have to come in and throw us a ball out to left field. If what you say is true then trying to get really consistant honing is going to take mandatory and frequent use of a quality magnifier while honing and constant changes to honing technique. I don't know if most of the membership here can digest this!

As to the x pattern question I use a three inch hone also and never use an X pattern I go straight up the hone but keep the razor with a slight heel leading angle that way you get those angled striations on the blade as when you X hone.

Originally Posted by joshearl

The weight of your thumb is pressing down on the tang. More force = faster cutting. The force dissapates toward the tip, but keeping it on the hone longer evens out the cutting.

Thanks, that makes perfect sense to me. The point of the razor has less pressure on it so it stays on the hone longer to compensate.

I'll stick with the X pattern then, not that I was planning to change it to be honest.

When pressure dissipates where does it go to?

I'm confused, i need a diagram.