Thread: Honing with/without tape... Testing the theories

After a year of messing with honing always using tape I dipped my foot in the water of honing without it. One of the reasons was Lynn doesn't use it except in certain circumstances. I figured if the premier honemeister in the world doesn't use it there must be something to it. Anyway, I took a micrometer to the spine of a NOS Solingen full hollow and honed it without tape. I checked it again afterwards and it was the same measurement as near as my eye could tell. So I figured that if I was going to tear up a spine it wouldn't be in one honing session at the skill level I had reached at that time.

I've got a lot of razors so I don't have to hone one a whole lot of the time. If I had one or two and they saw the hones often I might rethink it but with the amount of time the many spend on the rocks I don't worry about the wear, which is, as I said, inappreciable at this stage of the game. The thing that made me stick with no tape is the feel of the blade on the hones. Aside from the fact that tape is , AFAIC, a hassle, it offers a certain resistance that I don't feel without it.

Once I got used to the feel of the naked blade on the hone, and I did have to get used to it, I was hooked. Whenever I hone a pattern welded steel, A.K.A. "Damascus" blade I use tape and it reminds me of why I don't like to hone with it. YMMV.