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?

If a shaver has one or two razors and rotates them, hones them when they need a touch up for say 20 years, the issue of edge and spine wearing together would probably come into play. Thing is, that the average guy on SRP has dozens of razors, if not hundreds, and rarely shaves with the same one on any kind of regular basis.

These razors, if they are properly honed and stropped to begin with, don't return to the hones often. So the wear will be negligible. Once the bevel is set on a 'good' razor the amount of metal removed is minuscule, IMHO, if it is properly honed from there on out.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If a shaver has one or two razors and rotates them, hones them when they need a touch up for say 20 years, the issue of edge and spine wearing together would probably come into play. Thing is, that the average guy on SRP has dozens of razors, if not hundreds, and rarely shaves with the same one on any kind of regular basis.

These razors, if they are properly honed and stropped to begin with, don't return to the hones often. So the wear will be negligible. Once the bevel is set on a 'good' razor the amount of metal removed is minuscule, IMHO, if it is properly honed from there on out.

i used and rotated the same two razors for almost 35 yrs. Only ever touched up on a barber hone or coticule. Never had to hone out any nicks or anything and there is no distinguishable hone wear and they still shave like champs.

Since I found this site and all of you enablers, those razors are packed away and no longer in the rotation.