Thread: Honing and stropping question

Originally Posted by GaryDrainville

For maintaining a razor is it recommended that tape be used if the razor was initially honed that way? I've just received a Kamisori from Brian Brown (awesome razor with my two shaves by the way) and he had a note included with the razor stating it was honed using tape - is this info for when further touch ups are done? However, my decent razors will not see s hone by me - not yet anyway.

Gary

Brian tapes all his razors and I believe he does this for the looks as some don't like any wear to the spine but going from taped to untaped is not that many strokes, I believe Glen did a video of this.

Originally Posted by GaryDrainville

If electrical tape is used when honing a razor - why is it not important to use tape when stropping the razor?

I was just thinking about this when I watched a video where it was explained that when maintaining a honed razor I should stick to whatever the razor was honed with.

Gary

The short answer is the strop flexes.

In the case of a balsa strop or hard backed leather strop it might be a question if you are
using them to extend your hone kit into the very fine range.

If you inspect a lot of paddle strops (leather on wood) some will have rather thin
wood under the leather to allow it to give a bit.

As thin as tape is it is less of a problem than it might sound. Tape also wears
so is thinner in use than when measured.

Good question...