Thread: Taping the spine

Steve
You are right. It sounds like you will be making a smile on everything. But as Dave said...Hone a few or 20 and you will understand. It will come together. It just takes time. I was at it for many many months before it all came together for me. And still, To this day I still find problem razors that make me want to throw them against the wall! Just set them down for next week is my answer.

If you add a layer of Kapton tape, your tape will last much longer and if you pay attention, you can just change the Kapton tape and not the electrical.

If you feel a difference in the stone, gummy, grabby or girt on the stone you have burned through your tape. When you clean the razor to take a look with your loupe, feel the tape on the edge of the spine, if it is smooth you are good, if it feel rough or gummy you are starting to burn through.

How long tape last depends on how much pressure you are putting on the spine and how aggressive your stone is. A diamond plate will eat tape, faster than a 1k or 8k.

Learn to torque the blade slightly, so very lite pressure is on the edge and not the spine. The spine is just kissing, but on the stone, especially when flattening the bevels on the 1k. Your final laps are done with the spine fully on the stone.

For a new honer a $5-7 investment in a roll of Polymide tape is a good investment, a roll lasts a long time, it is super thin and tough. The knock off last as long as the name brand.

Hi all,

Ok, I have been advised by everyone to hone everything as if it had a smile.

Message received loud and clear, I prefer to learn from your mistakes than mine

I have got a question or two though if you don't mind.

1) If a person should always hone as if there were a smile, would that include 1k bevel setting (as if it had a smile)?

2) If I acquire a straight edge as opposed to a smile and would like if poss to keep it as a straight edge. Am I going to make it smile instantly if also bevel setting or does it take quite a lot of repeat honings before I will actually start to see an obvious smile?

I do get it that I need to hone as if it had a smile but I hope I don't sound like I have completely misunderstood if I say that I really would like a few different blades in my rotation, not just smiles on everything.

Steve

Like Vic said " the closest thing to a frown is a straight edge"

If you want something perfectly straight, get a shavette.

Originally Posted by STF

2) If I acquire a straight edge as opposed to a smile and would like if poss to keep it as a straight edge. Am I going to make it smile instantly if also bevel setting or does it take quite a lot of repeat honings before I will actually start to see an obvious smile?

Steve

If you're careless the toe and heel can be rounded off pretty easily. If you're careful not to over do it on the toe and heel, you would be hard pressed to see any change to the plan form from a single honing. It's hard to quantify how many times a straight edge could be honed towards a smile without a smile being noticeable. I don't hone many straight edges, but I can't think of any where I actually noticed a smile being formed.

OK I just went and looked at a couple that I know that I've honed several times. Looking straight on at the plan form the edge appears straight. Sighting down the edge I can see a slight smile. I suppose it should not surprising that honing towards a smile actually produces one, but I would still maintain that if you don't over do it it's a pretty slow process. I still consider the two that I looked at to be straight edges.

When I started honing razors, I bought into the idea that the edge should be, and stay, straight, the stone should be flat and the razor should move straight down the hone to keep everything perfect. I attended a few meets and saw that no one who had any experience honed that way. It took me a while to grasp why the heel did not fall behind when doing x strokes, but I did see the light.

Originally Posted by bluesman7

If you're careless the toe and heel can be rounded off pretty easily. If you're careful not to over do it on the toe and heel, you would be hard pressed to see any change to the plan form from a single honing. It's hard to quantify how many times a straight edge could be honed towards a smile without a smile being noticeable. I don't hone many straight edges, but I can't think of any where I actually noticed a smile being formed.

OK I just went and looked at a couple that I know that I've honed several times. Looking straight on at the plan form the edge appears straight. Sighting down the edge I can see a slight smile. I suppose it should not surprising that honing towards a smile actually produces one, but I would still maintain that if you don't over do it it's a pretty slow process. I still consider the two that I looked at to be straight edges.

Hi, thank you for the information.

I just looked at your site. You have some gorgeous razors, I love the pattern on the blades.

Steve

You can't really remove that much steel that you would notice any development into a smile in a few honings. You would have to be seriously grinding at it to see it in one go. I only have a couple I have managed to do that to, and they had serious edge pitting with the end result having to be a reprofiling of the edge. Since you're trying to polish and shave off a 1k, your pressure isn't going to be anywhere near that

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...t_-_Honing.pdf


http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...lling_X_stroke

The links didnt work for me Oz!
Just saying

I can personally attest to the quality of Victor's razors Steve.. Fantastic workmanship for sure... I purchased the brick red one he has on his site and was a wonderful shaver.. Unfortunetly for me with the mycarta scales and how hollow his blades are it is almost feather light and i prefer a bit more weight . I cant remember who i sold it to here on the forum but i remember they sent me a note a little while after saying how much they enjoyed it..
Vic gets rave reviews from his customers and for good reason... He makes great razors.. I do plan on purchasing another in the not so distant future but this time i will have a 7/8 custom blade and some heavier acrylic scales..