Thread: When Did Taping the Spine Begin?

Originally Posted by Brontosaurus

Wedge blades are especially susceptible to spine or blade surface wear when honing. If taping or another system is to be dismissed prior to the Internet and the 1940s invention of electrical tape, perhaps they were honed raising the spine if they have come down to us in decent shape, provided that they were actually used?

That's my take. Several of my old wedges had bevels that were uneven side to side which might indicate knife-like honing.

Yea, I suspect in the past if they cared about the spine they raised it off the hone ever so slightly. Just enough to avoid contact. The vintage blades that I've come across with little or no hone wear on the spine all had higher angle bevels than what I made with tape or simply honing them with the spine on the stone.

Years ago this question came up and some folks thought there may have been a metal sleeve used to slide over the spine to do the equivalent of taping. Whether there has ever been anything written/published to that effect I don't know.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Years ago this question came up and some folks thought there may have been a metal sleeve used to slide over the spine to do the equivalent of taping. Whether there has ever been anything written/published to that effect I don't know.

IIRC Mastro Livi did once make one for one of our members to protect the spine of one of his expensive razors.

Yeah the thoughts on this go back a few years this thread is 9 years old

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...honed-day.html

I remember Josh Earl doing some hardness tests using the older Sheffield razors that found the spines were softer than the blades so that also could have an effect of the excessive spine wear we see..

It has been a topic of conversation and conjecture for quite a long time

Since someone mentioned Perret, I thought this link might be useful too

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ds-1771-a.html

The wooden sleeve was for shaving, not honing, apparently. But I would not be surprised if someone used it for honing.