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Toe-ing the Line

Basil

Well-Known Member
Howdy all,

I've been doing some honing on blades need some advice from you guys.

At first i thought my X-stroke was working well for me and getting great result. After a few shaves though I noticed that the toe of the blade was never as sharp as the rest.

It leads me to guess that my stroke isn't consistent and somehow the toe isn't getting the same amount of work, or it is being lifted off the stone.

Does anyone have some tips on how to get a consistent good stroke, or am i just gonna have to keep practicing and watching the blade as i hone.
 
yes you have to slowly practice your stroke but if a part of the blade stays behind there's no harm in it to give it that bit of extra attention

kind regards
Stijn
 
I think there may be a slight tendency for some people to drop their elbows towards the end of the honing stroke, and this leads to the edge coming off the hone. That could be what's happening with you, so take care and get the stroke to be consistent.

Also, a lot of blades have a slight smile at the toe, and this requires a slight roll in the stroke - so that's another thing that could cause this issue.

As Stijn said, there's no problem with concentrating on one portion of the blade, if it needs it.
 
Basil,

I think, spoken in all modesty, that my honing stroke is reasonably ok. But still I perform extra partial strokes on almost every razor I sharpen. Sometimes at the toe, sometimes the heel, seldom the middle.
If part of the bevel didn't straighten out with the rest during the bevel correction stage, give it the attention it demands, before moving on with the refining stage.
If part of the razor didn't sharpen up out with the rest of the edge, give it the attention it demands, before moving to the finishing stage.
And if part of the edge needs extra finishing work, give it the extra attention it needs.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
Very little to add from me, I too find that i usually need to do extra work at certain parts of the edge, one thing I still use is the marker pen, black the edge of the blade from toe to heel, and after 1 or 2 strokes you will see if you are missing any area's :thumbup:

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
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