Thread: honing the rounded ends

Comrades.... I have a Dovo Best quality 5/8 full hollow.
I have just purchased a hone, as I had a small amount of fine rust developing on the blade- as I live near the coast and was not putting oil on my blade.
I have been able to get the edge quite nice with a few strokes on the 10 000 grit Japanese waterstone, the only trouble is sharpening the corners that are rounded off.

How should I do this? by this I mean the ends of the cutting blade, I feel like having that last rounded bit sharpened would be good.... But I dont I am concerned that I will ruin the hone by trying to sharpen round the corners like I would on a knife.

Thank you for your anticipated assistance. Peace.

Welcome to SRP. I assume you mean by the 'ends' the point and heel on a round point razor with a slight "smile". If that is the case, and the edge does not touch the hone at the heel and point, when laying flat on the hone, the rolling X is the prescribed method for getting the whole blade sharp. A description of that method can be found here.

i have the Same razor if it's still factory specks I don't think your supposed to sharpen the little round on the toe and heel. Only the straight edge needs sharpening. The rounded ends prevent the potential problems/mistakes people make with spike points(square point). When you have a square point that end is extremely sharp and precise if not handled carefully while shaving you an easily cut yourself. The rounded part of the blade on ours is to prevent that issue. The straight edge is the only part of the edge that's in contact with you face. I actually blunt the rounded corner on mine that way i can go by my ear lob with out having to worry about the corner cutting in.

To quote from the library here on SRP:
Point styles:
"The point of the blade can be shaped in several styles, the commonest being the round point and the square point (or ‘spike’). But there are also half-round, oblique, notched and French points. The sharp corner on the square point razor is useful for exact work, say, around the edge of a moustache. Whether sharp or round point is more dangerous the answer is that they both are in a different way. A sharp point does not provide any cushion against poor depth perception, while with a round point it is not clear where the actual cutting edge ends. At the end of the day it is a matter of personal preference, but as far as safety goes knowing exactly where the edge is at any moment is crucial."

Hope all that makes since. If i understand your question correctly there is no need to sharpen the rounded end on the razor. Don't take my opinion to heart until somebody else confirms what i'm thinking. A picture might help clarify.

what they all said ^ lol

You won't ruin the hone, but you might put a lot of excessive wear on the end of the razor if you try to sharpen around the corners like you would a knife. I agree with Jimmy that a rolling stroke is the prescribed method

The rounded toe and heel are present on brand new razors too. This geometry is meant to provide better protection from inadvertently cutting your ear on a close, down stroke or around your nostril area when using the toe. I actually like to sharpen close, but not completely up to the toe in order to provide some shaving flexibility around my nose. I cannot think of any advantage to sharpening "around" the heel area. Good luck.