Thread: Honing, concerned about the spine...

Obviously, honing wears down the spine. When, if ever, does that become an issue?

You can use one layer of electrical tape to protect the spine when you hone. If you use one, or more, layers of tape you will have to repeat that any time you hone the razor in the future. Stropping is fine without tape even if the razor has been honed with tape.

I might use tape when setting the bevel since this is the more hone intensive part of the job. Once the bevel is set I remove the tape and it is not long before I've gotten to the cutting edge while sharpening on a 4k. On some razors, particularly if they are not my own, I will use tape through the complete process, from start to finish. I only mention the option because it is an option.

Issues with spine wear may come about through excess pressure, uneven honing, caused by inexperience. Honing without tape is not usually a problem for an experienced honer and some prefer that method. If you are inexperienced using the one layer will be the way to go IMO.

I kind of go back and forth on this. Back in the day no one used tape. I like JimmyHAD's idea of using it during the 1K process. I think I will try that next go around. However, I have yet to really affect a spine adversely or cosmetically by not using tape. Flip a coin?

Bad honing is simply bad honing, with or without tape it really doesn't matter...

Here is a truth that I have found by doing just a few restores here and there

I have yet to have a razor come through my shop that has bad geometry from being honed WITH tape, I have however seen 100's that have bad geometry from bad honing WITHOUT tape...

Here is a thread about geometry and actual testing

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...-theories.html


In a nutshell, it is your razor do what you want


ps: When I get a request for honing without tape I also do as Jimmy noted and set the bevel with 1 layer of tape and then gently meet that bevel on the next hone...

pps: My personal razors are all honed with tape, I believe any hone wear looks best on the hone not the spine

Originally Posted by 1holegrouper

I kind of go back and forth on this. Back in the day no one used tape. I like JimmyHAD's idea of using it during the 1K process. I think I will try that next go around. However, I have yet to really affect a spine adversely or cosmetically by not using tape. Flip a coin?

Just to speak from my own journey down the honing road, when I first started I was worried about messing up the spine, cosmetically if not the geometry. So I started using tape. I soon found that if I didn't tape all of them I wouldn't remember which was taped and which not taped, so I began taping all of them. I know some big time honers who use tape all the time and I continued with that for a year.

The fact that Lynn doesn't usually use tape bothered me. I figured that if Lynn doesn't ordinarily use it I might be missing something. So after about a year, and a couple of hundred razors, I dipped my foot in the water of tapeless honing. I took a micrometer and measured the spine of a NOS vintage Solingen I'd gotten. I honed it from start to finish sans tape and measured it again. On that particular razor there was no appreciable wear so I began honing without tape.

The exceptions being Damascus or decorated spines. I've recently begun to use tape again. Some of the razors I've been messing with are old Sheffields and whether it is because they require more work, or the steel is softer at the spine (?) I find I notice more wear on them without tape. Visually, I've not measured before and after. Say all this to say, I agree with 1holegrouper that is 'flip a coin' once you have confidence in your honing ability. Until then I would say it is better to be safe than sorry.