Thread: Spine Work. Do you LOVE it. or PASS it? What are yalls opinions?

I have some but got rid of others because they where damaging my strops and stones if not taped. If I would be a collector I wouldn't mind beautiful spine work, but I'm more into it for the shaving and prefer razors without a lot of spine work.

If it's there then great, if it isn't then I'm not bothered. Grind and steel are more important, similarly I give more weight to scale material or design. I use my blades and while some are works of art I think many forget that they have a purpose, wishing for them to remain pristine forever taping the spine to prevent any wear and literally pampering them. They are tools. If they are for a display, then they are wall art. I try not to mix the two.

If it scratches your strop lighten the pressure and or find a
more forgiving strop. A CrOx pasted strop will polish some
burrs but not all.

Consider adding tape before stropping it.

thanks for the advice niftyshaving, I already strop very light. I only have one strop, a TM traditional. Taping the razor every time I strop is something that bothers me. I do have a loom strop with paste, I'll try that and see what gives. Have a nice weekend.

I just love my Thiers Issard razors with spine work.How can one love a piece of metal,they have some kind of life in them.
I love them with a warm fuzzy feeling not biblical love.
You muck up the geometry if you tape the spine when honing

Originally Posted by adductum

I just love my Thiers Issard razors with spine work.How can one love a piece of metal,they have some kind of life in them.
I love them with a warm fuzzy feeling not biblical love.
You muck up the geometry if you tape the spine when honing

One layer of tape never hurt anything and if you have an ornate spine it will remain pristine. Most guys who hone for a business tape the spine to protect it.

Originally Posted by adductum

I just love my Thiers Issard razors with spine work.How can one love a piece of metal,they have some kind of life in them.
I love them with a warm fuzzy feeling not biblical love.
You muck up the geometry if you tape the spine when honing

How do you muck up the geometry if you use a layer of tape on the spine while honing?

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

How do you muck up the geometry if you use a layer of tape on the spine while honing?

Bob

Like any honing process the details matter over time.
If you always tape the spine then the edge will get closer and closer to
the spine and the angle of the steel will get larger and larger and the
edge not as fine...

So in 50 years the geometry suffers.

The reverse can be seen on some old razors where the heavy hand of
someone has abraded the spine and the edge is now so acute that the
steel cannot support the edge.

I have a razor that I stupidly played with using a heavy hand and I wrecked the spine.
Now that the spine is messed up the razor is hard as heck to hone.

So -- yes tape the spine... Tape is good for beginners and does protect
gold and file work on a prized razor....

Once a razor is shaving well, most honing can be done at 8K or even 12K
so there is no terrible worry one way or the other.

But play with a DMT, 500 grit or 1K aggressive hone like I did, tape would have save
my razor from abuse....

My advice use a layer of tape for the early days of honing.

I pass on it. The last spine work I liked was on the Cylons.

I am like JB. Never been much on the ornate spine, esp overdone ones such as those old Bokers.
Seems like the decoration takes a back seat to what is important to me. Indeed, a 13/16 overall blade is typically a 5/8 from actual spine to edge on some as the entire top quarter of the blade is purely decoration..

Something light and non-intrusive is preferable to me. If at all........