Thread: Tape on the spine

Originally Posted by Southbound

Hey folks,

You know the whole thing confuses me on tape or not tape?? Everyone says the spine acts as a guide to maintaining the correct angle through the life of the razor, i read somewhere thats about 17°. Well im all truth if i dont ever tape the spine when honing, then the spine thins little by little each honing. As the spine thins then the bevel angle thins also. The width of the edge angle gets wider ( but not at a cross-sectional view) at a cross-sectional view the edge will be thinner. So if that spine is a guide to keep a razor at roughly 17° though out all honings. Why does the geometry of the edge change when the spine wears?

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Originally Posted by Southbound

Hey folks,

You know the whole thing confuses me on tape or not tape?? Everyone says the spine acts as a guide to maintaining the correct angle through the life of the razor, i read somewhere thats about 17°. Well im all truth if i dont ever tape the spine when honing, then the spine thins little by little each honing. As the spine thins then the bevel angle thins also. The width of the edge angle gets wider ( but not at a cross-sectional view) at a cross-sectional view the edge will be thinner. So if that spine is a guide to keep a razor at roughly 17° though out all honings. Why does the geometry of the edge change when the spine wears?

Originally Posted by RezDog

When people first start to hone there is way too much pressure on the spine. Taping for beginners saves razors. As people progress in their honing skills they will put less pressure on the spine and more on the edge, leaving taping more of a choice. Tape is very thin and one layer is not going to make any dramatic effects on the edge.

^^^^ Your answer is just above your question...
I would add with the quality stones available and knowledge you can get here, you can maintain your razor and keep it shave ready with minimal wear over your lifetime, and many other lifetimes. This makes the change of angle through wear negligible. Hope this helps.