Question for all you honemeisters

[shavindave]

If the honing stone is three inches wide (like a Norton 4000/8000), and the blade of the straight razor being honed is three inches or less, why the "X-pattern"? It would seem you are honing the tip of the blade more than the heel under these circumstances, which would sharpen the blade asymmetrically. Wouldn't a straight back and forth stroke make more sense?

[A.de.Lioncourt]

Intuitively it does makes sense, however straight razors are rarely ever completely straight. The X pattern ensures every point along the slight smile get honed evenly.

Also the X pattern produces a smoother edge since the scratches aren't entirely perpendicular to the edge.

[A.de.Lioncourt]

May I add I'm not really a honemeister. I believe there are less than ten in the whole world right now. :biggrin1:

[joel]

If the honing stone is three inches wide (like a Norton 4000/8000), and the blade of the straight razor being honed is three inches or less, why the "X-pattern"? It would seem you are honing the tip of the blade more than the heel under these circumstances, which would sharpen the blade asymmetrically. Wouldn't a straight back and forth stroke make more sense?

Dave,
Some with 3" wide razor and 3" wide hones don't use the x pattern. When I am honing on my Norton, I don't use the X, but most of my other hones are too small - so I do.

:smile:

[AFDavis11]

It kinda makes simple sense if you think of a straight as a kind of sharp piece of metal and it works pretty well in most cases. You can get a sharp razor that way, no doubt. Of course, when you have a curved edge or you don't have a Norton or want a much higher grit then your screwed. And if you haven't learned an x pattern your stuck. But the benefits continue . . .

With a straight its not just about making something sharp, its also about making its bevel smooth and having the striation pattern repeated on the bevel. This striation pattern is a series of opposing cuts in the bevel, one side opposing the other and cutting hairs in between. Thus when you pull the razor you not only create the striation at a good angle without reorienting you wrist continously as you move down the hone your also pulling the blade clean off the hone which produces are very nice clean smooth bevel (like when you pull a spatula with icing off the edge of a bowl instead of trying to slide it sideways).

I'm not really sure why the tip doesn't get so much more "effect" from honing with an x pattern, but trust me it doesn't. Two things to consider though, one if there is a very minor difference its not that big a deal. I use the base of the razor for the tough parts of my beard and the tip for the fine shaving and this works great (in other words it may not be that big a deal if it isn't perfectly equal). The other theory which I postulated about a few years ago involves the sensitivity of a razor to pressure. If you hold the razor by the shank your applying a dissapropiate amount of pressure on the shank when you hone. You don't worry about this for some reason? What if the x pattern compensates for the difference by honing the base less in response?

Interesting idea don't you think?

Finally, a Norton for example dishes out a lot as you hone. If you go straight down the hone, at an angle of course, you'd need to lap it constantly. An x pattern compensates better for this as you pull the razor out of the dish created from previous strokes.

[EL Alamein]

The X pattern produces, IMHO, a sharper smoother edge. Without it, the edge can be harsh. Use it no matter what size stone you have and the comfort of your shaves will improve. Hope that helps.

Chris

[Thebigspendur]

Personally I rarely use the X pattern on my 3 inch hones. I go straight up and down the hone with a slight angle on the razor usually heel leading. I don't seem to have any problem getting a great edge. Its all a matter of developing a method that works best for you and adapting as you go along. There are some razors however because of the wear pattern or the edge type where an X pattern is what is called for. Ther is no cookie cutter approach to honing razors.

[The Invisible Edge]

I think Big Spendur is right - although I do use X-pattern on my 6k stone as it's narrow I generally do use a straight up-down on the others unless of course I have a wedge with a swept blade in which case it's a sort of X- then - across -and - tilt - the - whole - lot affair. Works for me.:c6:

[karkarta]

This striation pattern is a series of opposing cuts in the bevel, one side opposing the other and cutting hairs in between.

If I get the picture right, this implies that if the razor were transparent and you held the razor up to the light, you'd see the striations on both bevels form an 'X'. This would then mean that the edge is doing some kind of scissor action on the hair.

Unfortunately, if you do an X pattern honing, with say the heel leading on both sides of the razor, the striations on both bevels will be parallel. You'll see teeth like a hacksaw - aligned in such a way that the tooth "points" to the heel. If you hone toe leading, the teeth will point to the toe.

Only if you are doing heel leading on one side of the razor and toe leading on another side will you get opposing striations. I have never experimented with this, but it may be worth doing. Are you saying that you do this?

Vijay

[AFDavis11]

No, I do heal leading each way. I then move the razor in a scything motion against the hair as I shave. Both bevels work together, on opposing sides against the hair.