Quote Originally Posted by Howard View Post
You're talking to a bunch of guys who think taking an extremely sharp razor to their throats is a good guy. Heretics are as welcome here as lunatics. : )

If you want to change your bevel by taping the spine, go ahead. Lots of guys do this for various reasons ranging from protecting the spine to putting a secondary bevel on the razor. This should not be a verboten topic and, as a lifelong honer, let me instead ENCOURAGE you to experiment with new techniques.

Breadknifing is an old technique. Read about it on my "Honing How To" page in an excerpt from a book written in 1908 by a Cornell professor of cellular biology. The excerpt is about honing microtomes which he says should be much sharper than razors . . . .
Was his book applauded? or was he just deemed a lunatic.

Howard, as a lifelong honer give us your thoughts on bevel angle (generally speaking).

* Is there a range of bevel angles, outside of which an acceptable shave is unlikely?
* Do razor manufacturers design their blades for a particular bevel angle determined by spine thickness?
* Is there a different "optimal" bevel angle for different types of steel?
* Do you take the resulting bevel angle into consideration when deciding if a disproportional razor is restorable?
* Would matching a bevel angle to shave angle make a noticeable difference?

(I make a distinction between bevel angle and "sharpness")