Thread: Honing a W&B wedge, was giving me fits!

Why not start and finish with 4 layers of tape ?
Strop with no tape, weightless, tiny slack..
I love honing W & B.

[QUOTE=JOB15;1681248]Why not start and finish with 4 layers of tape ?
Strop with no tape, weightless, tiny slack..
I love honing W & B.[/QUOTE

Well I went with 3 initially because that is what felt right. Other than that I have no good answer for my actions. Like I said I really have no Idea why I removed 1 layer in the first place. Putting another layer back on was the right thing to do in any event. I finished everything with 3 layers, I have yet to strop it that will come in the a.m. once I get home

[QUOTE=ejmolitor37;1681249]

Originally Posted by JOB15

Why not start and finish with 4 layers of tape ?
Strop with no tape, weightless, tiny slack..
I love honing W & B.[/QUOTE

Well I went with 3 initially because that is what felt right. Other than that I have no good answer for my actions. Like I said I really have no Idea why I removed 1 layer in the first place. Putting another layer back on was the right thing to do in any event. I finished everything with 3 layers, I have yet to strop it that will come in the a.m. once I get home

If your having trouble reaching the edge you have a few options.
1. Bring each side of the bevel to a flatness. Not easy.

2. Hone with trickery rolling x's and so forth.Takes time to learn.

3. Add another layer of tape. Easy.

I always hone with 2 layers of tape personally.

I could be wrong in what I say but I have thousands of hours honing under my belt and I know what works for me.

Good luck..keep at it...

Thank you for the advice, on my hollow grounds I have been trying to just use 1 layer just to protect the spine from me. But from my reading these old wedges take more tape or just let it ride which I first did attempt with this razor but it started getting close to the "fine india steel " stamp in the center of the blade so that is why I went with tape. Thanks again JOB15

I personally would not through the idea of using four layers of tape out there unless the blade has some serious issues. That much tape will cause a notable change in the geometry of the bevel. The layers also become squishy and give you an inconsistent surface. Not saying that it can't be done, but it should be avoided if possible IMO. A wedge CAN be a pain if it has a lot of wear and a wide bevel. I've also honed old Sheffield wedges with little to no wear then honed up as easy and the thinnest hollow ground blade(without tape). The wider the bevel, the more work you have to do on each stone. There really isn't a magic number for layers of tape. You've got to figure out what's going to work for you and the specific blade that your working on. Once that bevel is set though, you've got to either stick with that many layers, or reset it with a different amount of layers.

Good job figuring things out. Once you establish a bevel set, if you flatten your angle(this is what happens when removing tape), you lose your ability to reach the edge of the blade with the hone.

I've seen it written here many times that you can remove a layer of tape and re-establish the bevel with a dozen or so laps. This may be true for a typical hollow grind, but a wedge can easily take 5 or 10 times that number due to the greater quantity of metal to be removed caused by the wider bevel area. Also, be very mindful of tape wear when bevel setting - at the tape wears, the edge starts to lose contact.

Originally Posted by BeJay

I personally would not through the idea of using four layers of tape out there unless the blade has some serious issues. That much tape will cause a notable change in the geometry of the bevel. The layers also become squishy and give you an inconsistent surface. Not saying that it can't be done, but it should be avoided if possible IMO. A wedge CAN be a pain if it has a lot of wear and a wide bevel. I've also honed old Sheffield wedges with little to no wear then honed up as easy and the thinnest hollow ground blade(without tape). The wider the bevel, the more work you have to do on each stone. There really isn't a magic number for layers of tape. You've got to figure out what's going to work for you and the specific blade that your working on. Once that bevel is set though, you've got to either stick with that many layers, or reset it with a different amount of layers.

No offence , and I respect your scientific point of view.

I have just shaved off a W&B 8/8ths honed with 4.5 layers of tape . The shave was some thing very special. My had was slightly shaking at the blades majesty and effects.

I will add this to hone of the day and so forth after I taken pictures . I've been waiting for daylight and free time to do so.

Adding a layer of tape here and there does not make as much a difference as most people believe.

I restore and hone quite a few W&B's , admittedly with hone ware. My most favoured W&B is a smiling near wedge that takes 6 layers and it holds a very special edge for a considerable amount of time.

I challenge you to take a near wedge and use 4 layers of tape and check out the results.

All the best.. Joseph

Ok so I took the other wedge I have been fighting and put 4 layers of tape on. Again nice bevel back toward the heel it was a bit thinner than the rest of the bevel, but I changed the tape as needed and used 4 layers all through my progression and I am feeling very well about this blade as well. I will be doing a test shave Sunday or Monday and can not wait to see the results. I think I could have went with 3 layers but my bevel would have been a bit more unsightly which who cares at the end of the day I am the one shaving with it I guess too JOB15 since I will be doing a test shave with 2 near wedges it might be interesting to see if there is a difference in how they shave? Since one was honed with 3 layers and one with 4 layers... I honestly doubt it will matter but we shall see. Thanks for the encouragement as always fellas and advice, you guys are a great bunch.

Originally Posted by JOB15

No offence , and I respect your scientific point of view.

I have just shaved off a W&B 8/8ths honed with 4.5 layers of tape . The shave was some thing very special. My had was slightly shaking at the blades majesty and effects.

I will add this to hone of the day and so forth after I taken pictures . I've been waiting for daylight and free time to do so.

Adding a layer of tape here and there does not make as much a difference as most people believe.

I restore and hone quite a few W&B's , admittedly with hone ware. My most favoured W&B is a smiling near wedge that takes 6 layers and it holds a very special edge for a considerable amount of time.

I challenge you to take a near wedge and use 4 layers of tape and check out the results.

All the best.. Joseph

no offense taken. And I have honed big choppers with four layers and had great results. Like I said, it can be done(and sometimes should be), but it's not something that I feel should be done on every near wedge. another thing to keep in mind is the width of the blade. Four layers on a 5/8 will affect the geometry much more then on an 8/8. If I'm doing a serious restore I will usually opt for more tape for cosmetic reasons. If it's something I'm just going to clean up and use I'll use less.