Thread: New reason for taping the spine

Last night I was honing a Crown & Sword which had a LOT of spine wear, so much in fact that I couldn't get the thing to get sharp at all, it seemed like the pine was to thin to produce a nice angle for the edge. Anyway after setting the bevel with a shapton 1k and finally getting it razor sharp (funny) a revelation came to me, the bevel was even but the spine was by not any means even.
What this means according to my imagination is that sometimes the spines on newer razors or vintage ones might not come evenly ground, thus producing small irregularities on the edge which in turn translate to uneven hone wear and weird bevels. So I taped the spine on an Imperial razor which had some uneven bevels and uneven spine wear and Voila, the bevel is now straight as can be and produces a very nice shave I might add. So for those thinking that Taping the spine is to preserve only the spine think again, it might actually be a way of producing an even bevel on some razors.

What I have learned from Lynn.... if I understand it correctly is that you can take a spine in real good condition but with anomalies in the grind and by doing circles correct the anomalies in relation to the edge.

On a razor with a lot of hone wear I think tape is a good thing. Even though the razor may have more wear towards the point end of the spine I still tape the whole spine. I know that some advocate taping the worn portion and not the whole length but I confess I haven't tried that approach.

Originally Posted by Memorael

So I taped the spine on an Imperial razor which had some uneven bevels and uneven spine wear and Voila, the bevel is now straight as can be and produces a very nice shave I might add.

Memorael
how in the world you by putting 1 layer of the tape and fix the bevel. this is really not simple to do.
if i am understanding you right.
you mean you just put 1 layer of tape and fix the back problem which was in the blade before?
Second bevel has not much to do with shaving. it could be wider in some part of the blade but narrower other will not affect the quality of the edge?
You should worry about the edge. As long as your edge doesn't have thrown you should be ok.(straight)
i am not trying to be PITA just cannot understand you.

I have had to use tape to "fix" the bevel on some screwed up, twisted old wedges that would have taken FOR EVER to get in shaving shape without resorting to tape.

Sometimes it's the only option besides breadknifing, unless you have access to a belt sander and the ability to use it properly for razors.

well the thing is, if the spine has some spots which are higher the edge will not have the same amount of contact on the edge producing either a smile, or uneven hone wear on the edge. Then if you think about it taping the spine with something like electrical tape will produce a nice even spine as long as the tape isn't stretched. this in turn will promote even hone contact at the edge giving you as a result an even edge.
Also at least for me the second bevel does produce an edge that I feel is more comfortable, I also find that the angles I have to work the blade at change quite a bit or else I get some stubble. It is also important to note that depending on the size of the blade you might actually have to do some very nasty hone wear in order to get an angle low enough to produce a shaving edge, on bigger edges say 5/8 and above I believe the tape will fix uneven edges, meaning all it will do is promote an even grind.
I am currently working on another razor which is smaller close to 4/8 to figure out how this taping will work on smaller edges I will report my findings later. Thanks.

Won't taping the spine change the angle of the bevel? Also, how hard is it to see anamolies in the spine?

Originally Posted by bigbassman83

Won't taping the spine change the angle of the bevel? Also, how hard is it to see anamolies in the spine?

When you are first on the hone use the black marker on the edge to see if it is making contact with the blade flat on the hone. If the marker is not removed evenly then it may be a smiling blade or a slightly... or worse.... warped or unevenly ground spine. There are honing methods to get around those situations without correcting the spine. It just depends on what the situation is and what you want to do with it.

I hear what you saying, razors with spine wear may benefit from taping. Sure, I'll buy that. Two layers would probably be better for lots of spine wear. Another thing, when you buy an older non NOS razor, one that's been used and abused. You don't know sometimes if the owner taped or not to begin with....

If the spine wear is noticeably uneven, don't you have to add more tape on the more worn portion to make it even with the less worn portion? I mean, if the heel portion of the spine has 0" wear, but the toe has 0.2" wear, then I think you would want to add tape only to the portion of the spine that has the wear, so as to "fill up" that 0.2" gap. Whereas, adding a uniform amount of tape across the entire spine does not eliminate the 0.2" gap.

Or am I missing something?

Originally Posted by Basset

If the spine wear is noticeably uneven, don't you have to add more tape on the more worn portion to make it even with the less worn portion? I mean, if the heel portion of the spine has 0" wear, but the toe has 0.2" wear, then I think you would want to add tape only to the portion of the spine that has the wear, so as to "fill up" that 0.2" gap. Whereas, adding a uniform amount of tape across the entire spine does not eliminate the 0.2" gap.

Or am I missing something?

No you are not missing anything. this is the reason i was asking question. just putting tape all way the spine will not help. you could add in some portion so on.