Thread: How Bevel is Affected by Taping

Be sure to have the brake mechanic tapes the rotors before turning them!


And listen folks: if you are going to geek out with calculations, etc. be prepared for someone else to out-geek you with even more equations, etc. They are just trying to get things RIGHT, and you are the one who opened that can of worms.

A single piece of tape doesn't do a whole lot. When I did my double bevel, I was trying to emulate a Feather edge (as per the Zowada website ~22 degree angle), this required me to add 5 layers of tape to my spine prior to honing.

Didn't do squat for shave performance. Overall just a pain in the rear, especially to un-do that bevel.

Tape to protect the spine seems worthwhile if you care to do it. To tape for the sake of improving edge performance, I have some definite reservations about!

But, you don't know until you try!

Being a newbie with little formal education all of the equations are Greek to me. I just want to know if taping the spine of my razor is going to be detrimental or if it makes no difference. It seems that this topic is very like global warming with advocates on both sides of the issue.

Don't tape it, just use it ..........

Originally Posted by Slant-Fan

Being a newbie with little formal education all of the equations are Greek to me. I just want to know if taping the spine of my razor is going to be detrimental or if it makes no difference. It seems that this topic is very like global warming with advocates on both sides of the issue.

I say that the difference in bevel between taped honing and not taped honing is of little or no consequence.

Originally Posted by icedog

I say that the difference in bevel between taped honing and not taped honing is of little or no consequence.

Thanks icedog, just finished reading this thread which reinforces that view.

Originally Posted by Slant-Fan

Being a newbie with little formal education all of the equations are Greek to me. I just want to know if taping the spine of my razor is going to be detrimental or if it makes no difference. It seems that this topic is very like global warming with advocates on both sides of the issue.

Not so fast, Slant-Fan: after the two sides of every coin, there's an edge. This is the third option - makes a difference but enough to be detrimental? Unfortunately that is the state of it, and the degrees of detriment will always be argued amongst the perfectionists. Also, if taping the spine turns out to be detrimental, I doubt the effects will be as dire as the effects of global warming if it turns out to be detrimental. I don't think you'll get tossed into jail or anything for taping the spine

Now we need someone to plot a curve pitting long-term time usage of hone wear with tape against shave quality.

For the love of gawd!

(think Chris Farley in Tommy Boy )

Jordan

Electrical tape- freind or foe?

I used scotch tape. The wonderful thing abut scotch is that after you're done with it, you can drink it. No mess!

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Not so fast, Slant-Fan: after the two sides of every coin, there's an edge. This is the third option - makes a difference but enough to be detrimental? Unfortunately that is the state of it, and the degrees of detriment will always be argued amongst the perfectionists. Also, if taping the spine turns out to be detrimental, I doubt the effects will be as dire as the effects of global warming if it turns out to be detrimental. I don't think you'll get tossed into jail or anything for taping the spine

Now we need someone to plot a curve pitting long-term time usage of hone wear with tape against shave quality.

A forum member who I will call a honemiester even if he doesn't lives nearby. He demonstrated his technique for me honing a dull Goldedge that I had gotten on ebay. He taped the spine. I was a bit uncomfortable with that but I didn't say anything. Since then I have brought the topic up to see what the general consensus is. I will tape the spine on the Goldedge when I hone it in the future. With most other razors I will not. I am damn near sixty years old and have accumulated quite a few straights in a relatively short period of time. Judging the wear on old razors that I see and with the large rotation that I have I imagine forgoing the tape on all but those with decorated spines or an undisturbed gold wash will have a negligible effect in my lifetime.