Thread: I don't like taping the spine.

It doesn't make sense to remove it after the 1K, because the tape is actually giving you the angle remove the tape when you go to the 3K then you have just altered the angle, well they are your razors and you can do with what you like but let common sense prevail and tape the spine, the one thing you don't explain is why you don't like to tape?

I don't like to tape because I don't want to have to every time I refresh a razor. I want to tape at 1k because without it it visibly scratches up the spine when the coticule does not.

My idea was to set the bevel with the 1k and then alter it with the 3k and proceed from there to the coticule. I don't know if this is workable or not.

You don't want to tape every time you refresh the razor well you mean every couple of months maybe even longer if you have a few razors so I don't understand how taping is an issue and we are only talking about one small piece of tape after all.

I have to say that the last two posts 10 + 11 make sense, if you take a sheet of paper and draw out the bevel angle with tape, then without you should see that the edge wont hit the stone until the 1k bevel is ground down, thus producing exactly the same wear on the spine as if you hadnt used tape at 1k. It will just take longer to wear the spine down enough to catch the edge as the grit is finer.
I am in no way experienced with honing, it just seems that the maths speak for themselves.
The scratches show up more because the grit is coarser, the actual wear should be the same, in fact the finisher should, i would have thought polish out the 1k scratches.

You can also tape the spine initially, doing some of the heavy work at the 1k level. Once that is finished remove the tape to finish,

Jamie and the others are right, start with tape and stick with the tape untill the end. You may be abel to get a good edge after with removing the tape but I can garantee if you leave the tape on you will get there in a fraction of the strokes and wont wear the spine as a bonus.

Anyways you are going to strop and use some pastes for a good couple of months untill it needs honing again if you have only a couple of other razors that like once or twice a year. What's 3 inch of tape once or twice a year?

for what its worth, 2 years into the honing I am fully converted to using tape all the time now.

Originally Posted by samircanada

... What's 3 inch of tape once or twice a year?
...

3 inches? Good grief i use a foot at least on the first go of most blades, retape, retape, retape. (every week (diff't blades))

If you don't want to use tape, fine don't use tape.

If the edge needs a good bit of metal removed, don't do it with the spine on the rock. I think that's where we get a lot of nasty looking hone-wear. It's when an edge has been damaged and the honer just grinds and grinds the edge/spine back together as if he has to. You don't has to. I don't drop the spine back to the stone until the edge is cleared of nicks and frowns and such.

I do use tape, but that's the feel I prefer and also that gives me a little variance to play with by altering the number of layers-which is something you cannot do with a nekkid spine. Examples: wedge and when using diamond plates-where one or two extra layers of tape are used.

So there are transitions in my honing, just not to a bare spine.

Hone on!

Originally Posted by dcaven

I accept that I must tape the spine resetting the bevel on the Chosera 1k but have heard it is possible to transition away from tape on a 3k stone. Next would be a coticule finishing up with a thuringian. How do you make this transition?

David

why do you want to make it hared than it should be?
Either tape or don't , it is that simple.

Guys it really isn't that hard,,,

Setting a bevel angle with 1 layer of tape to not subject the spine to the 1k wear is fine, switch to no tape at the next level with the light normal honing pressure not the heavy "Bevel Setting" pressure works just fine honest it really does.. So does learning to adjust the bevel setting pressure to the edge and off the spine but that takes a bit more practice..

The difference between 1 layer of tape and no tape is so MINUTE it takes in actual practice about 20 laps on a 3-5k hone to erase a fresh bevel with tape,, on the reverse of that Adding tape for a refresh after some time shaving takes even less to erase the 1 layer bevel as the edge has been pounded by hair and fixed multiple times with a strop so the angle difference is even less...

All you have to do is try the experiments yourself, it takes less time to check the facts yourself, then it does to type this...


IE: The effect of 1 layer of tape is greatly exaggerated,,,


(everything I typed above does not apply to using multiple layers of tape for corrective honing)