Thread: Taping the spine

Originally Posted by STF

Is it possible to make a blade too sharp or can’t it ever be sharp enough?

The reason why I ask is that I have noticed that one or two of my razors seem to get more comfortable after using them a few times.

AHA ! "Taping spines & can my razor be too sharp ?" This thread could go long time

So there is a physical limit to the width that most blades can get . There was a pdf floating around on the net by Verhoeven with pictures & numbers. I won't trust my memory to quote but it was fractions of a micron.

Can you shave with the thinnest edge possible ? Sure. These are the razors that will teach you that an almost flat contact is best. No 30º generalities here .
Will you get bleeders ? Most likely, when you lose concentration for a split second. Will that edge still shave nicely if you tone it back a bit with strop or stone . Sure.

It's all about your skill & your skin & whether the steel can be honed to that degree.

+1 to the 3M 700. I picked some up a couple of days ago and just started using it. It works much better than the cheap stuff.

I use super 88. Thicker by very little but its what ive always used. As everyone is saying, pull the tape off, then put the stick side on the leftover stuck to the blade. It will pull it off.
AND, as Outback said. He made me an edge that was too sharp. I told him there couldnt be such a thing and he proved me wrong. Trust me!

Checked Amazon for specs. Super 88 is 8.6 mil whereas 33+/700 run 7 mil. Yet somehow 700 and 33+ are quite different -- that is they charge a bit more of a premium for 700. Since Glen recommends 700, I figure that will be my 33+ replacement when I re-order next year. Quality tape sure makes a noticeable difference for honing use.

STF ...

You could not have known it but the subject of "to sharp?" has been going on here at SRP for a long time.
And as you may have guessed the answer was never universally agreed to.

Keep on honing and asking questions, we like this stuff!

Originally Posted by Gasman

I use super 88. Thicker by very little but its what ive always used. As everyone is saying, pull the tape off, then put the stick side on the leftover stuck to the blade. It will pull it off.

One of the threads on here suggested sticking the tape to your shirt once before putting it on the blade. Knocks the sticky down a little. It seems to work.

So, if your tape is old or has been heated, as in a toolbox or hot garage/shop or warehouse the glue starts to break down and leave residue. Even old tape that leaves residue, it will still work to protect the spine.

You can use the tape to remove residue and a shot of WD40 on a paper towel will get all of it off the blade easily.

If when you apply your tape, start at the heel and put the tape at least a ¼ inch on the tang, past the stabilizer or end of the heel. This will make it much easier to get a thumb nail under a corner of the tape, to remove it safely. If the tape ends in or near the hollow where the stabilizer meets the tang, it can be difficult to get it started and if your hands are wet it is easy to slip and run your thumb on to the edge.

Yes, you can get an edge too sharp to shave comfortable. Using a high grit film finer than 1um or stropping too many laps on high nano grit paste, CBN or Diamond smaller than .25 can produce an edge that will exfoliate skin for most people. It will shave smoothly, but about a minute later your face will weep tiny spots of blood, any imperfection on your skin will be removed.

It depends on your skin and beard, I hone for some folks with dense, wiry beards that request those edges, for most folks it can be too keen.

One other thing to look at with your “too” sharp edges is making sure they aren’t uncomfortable because of defects in your edge. A fin or wire edge will cut you up pretty good or at the very least be uncomfortable, same with chips. Chips can be so small they’re difficult to see under magnification.

Originally Posted by jfk742

One other thing to look at with your “too” sharp edges is making sure they aren’t uncomfortable because of defects in your edge. A fin or wire edge will cut you up pretty good or at the very least be uncomfortable, same with chips. Chips can be so small they’re difficult to see under magnification.

Thank you.

Education opportunity.

Fin?
Wire Edge?

The more posts I read, the more I realize I don’t understand yet!

Teach On guys

Steve

In the knife and woodworking world they are called a burr. On razors they are much smaller but very uncomfortable to shave with. I will let others post about determining if there is one and how to get rid of it.