Thread: Rolling X Stroke, Library Version

Should this be in the Library? Rolling X stroke - Straight Razor Place Library

.......yes

Originally Posted by WW243

Should this be in the Library? Rolling X stroke - Straight Razor Place Library

What is wrong with it?
I guess a video clip is better than pictures, but I am not sure if it can be embedded in the Wiki.

Originally Posted by mainaman

What is wrong with it?
I guess a video clip is better than pictures, but I am not sure if it can be embedded in the Wiki.

It appears to me that the shoulder is being honed.
And I could be wrong, but I thought I was told not to lift the spine doing a rolling X and the photos show two different razors, one clearly honing the shoulder.

I was under the impression you don't actually lift the spine, just roll the applied pressure. In a severe case of reshaping or a warped blade it might be necessary to lift the spine.

Originally Posted by prodigy

I was under the impression you don't actually lift the spine, just roll the applied pressure. In a severe case of reshaping or a warped blade it might be necessary to lift the spine.

Yep, same here. I won't quote a honemeister, not being able to find the post but I asked this question about lifting the spine and he said not to....
Honestly, I don't care what someone chooses to have in the library as that is above my pay grade. Just wondering

Im pretty sure you rock the spine slightly as you move through the stroke. I imagine that depends how extreme the smile is of the razor. A spine that follows a smiling edge wont sit flat on the hone, so you are trying to achieve contact of the whole edge by rocking through the stroke. Sometimes for one part of the edge to make contact another part needs to come off the hone slightly. I think the library version shows it pretty well.

An example of honing more exaggerated smiles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHZ4rmL-6Fg

The pictures show the rolling X-stroke correctly IMO.
When the motion starts the the heel should be in contact with the stone. If the blade is not perfectly ground it could happen that the spine is off the hone for portions of the length of the blade. As the blade moves across the stone due to the nature of the honing motion all of the edge will make contact with the hone surface.

It is rather difficult to describe which is why it is such a confusing topic


The spine and the corresponding part of the edge must stay in contact with the hone at the same moment in time..
The ripple of water in front of the edge must stay there as the edge moves across the hone.. Don't let that ripple go under the blade, adjust the angle and pressure to keep it there throughout the stroke while keeping the spine in contact too.. Easy huh

Most of the Vids and pictures are slightly exaggerated to show the motion, this actually leads to more confusion to one of the most confusing topics in honing.


edit: Or exactly as Charlie shows/tells you in that vid The heel forward part is the most important part IMHO and learning to adjust that heel forward angle for each smile just takes experience

The way I adapted the rolling X was from years of sharpening clip point pocket knives. If you've done that you'll know what I mean. The spine and the parallel bevel area must be on the hone together, but there will be times where, in order to make that happen, other areas, fore or aft, will be off the hone, if only slightly. That is the 'rolling' motion. If the blade won't lay flat on the hone, due to a smiling profile, or a warped spine, there is no way to keep all of the spine on the hone at all times ..... hence the rolling X ...... IME.