Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfessorShak
While this clearly validates the need for X pattern on a 2 inch stone, It still doesn't answer the question for 3" in which the toe, regardless of flatness of the blade, still recieved more hone attention if done using X pattern. This is a fact, on a 3" hone using X pattern strokes, the Toe of the blade is honed throughout the ENTIRE stroke whereas the heel is not, therefore more metal is removed from the toe in that stroke than in the heel. If creating and polishing an even bevel off a 3", I see no reason why an X stroke should be used. On a 2" an X would provide an even bevel. That I agree.
Many have the norton 4/8k and I'm sure that some clarification would be useful. I'm trying to avoid conventional thinking and looking for not just what "works" but what works best.
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My point about the size of the barber hone was that it was clear when the straight was the only razor option, all barber hones were between 1.5 and 2 inches for a good reason. That reason has been alluded to in the above posts. That is, the x-pattern is the optimal stroke for honing and maintaining a razor, regardless of the width of the hone. If the x-pattern is used, a hone has no need to be wider than 1.5 to 2 inches. In the past couple hundred years of straight razor usage, not a single razor hone that I know of was made wide enough to use a straight stroke.
I absolutely refuse to accept the argument that the x-pattern was developed because only small hones existed. To me it seems clear that the x-pattern was found to be optimal and therefore the narrow hones were made because they were the best match for the x-pattern. If a straight stroke worked so well, then barber hones would have been made wider. The fact that some people are now using wider Norton hones does not change the reality of the x-pattern usually being the optimal stroke.
Keep in mind that the Norton hones are NOT razor hones. By that I mean that they were not made to be razor hones. They simply are usable as razor hones. I don't know how many people are aware of this, but Norton also makes a set of hones that are 1.5 inches wide and I believe they are much more practical for razors.