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When honing my straight razor, should the spine of the razor be touching the whetstone? In some videos and guides, the spine touches the hone so that it acts as a sort of guide. I feel like eventually, the spine would get so worn down that the angle of the edge will be at a significantly different angle.
Yes, the spine should be in contact to set the correct angle. On old razors that have been honed a lot, the spine can be very worn, but if it has been worn evenly the angle will still be correct. If you don't want any hone-wear to the spine, you can put a strip of electrical tape round the spine to protect it.
Edit: Plenty of info in the library, try Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Wiki and New to honing, Read this - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Ok thank you very much.
Rule #1 of learning to hone: Hone with one layer of electrical tape on the spine.Quote:
Originally Posted by xdanisx
Why you ask? Exactly what you are thinking about, the hone wear on the spine & changing the geometry of the angle.
Yes, the spine should be on the stone (with one layer of tape) while honing. It will serve as your guide to keeping the exact same angle throughout the honing process. This is the ONLY way to properly hone a razor, spine on the stone.
When we are making blade corrections like taking out a chip or a frown, we will "grind" a razor one at a more aggresive angle on a coarse stone with the spine lifted, but that's it.
Also keep in mind that the spine only needs to just barely touch the hone to act as a guide. The edge will bear most of the (still very, very light) weight supporting the blade, so the wear on the spine will be minimal. It will likely take a lifetime to show much additional hone wear on the spine.