Thread: taped spine and pasted strop

Quick question: After honing with a taped spine, when going to a pasted paddle strop, do you remove the tape or keep it on?

Reason I ask is that the tape seems to remove quite a bit of diamond paste with it.

I'd leave it on to maintain the angle you developed on the hone.

James.

If it's a hanging strop, then the deflection of the leather during the stropping motion will be more than enough to touch the edge of the bevel.

A paddle strop might be fine as well, but it depends on how small the bevel is and how hard you press and the suppleness of the leather and....

I'd say go for it. If the edge looks polished when you're done stropping, it worked. If not, put the tape back on.

+1 on not having to leave the tape on to strop. The "cushion" of the leather on even a flat paddle strop IMO would be enough to compensate for the taped angle and reach the spine. You'll know easily enough if you try without tape, then you can report your findings here. I'm curious as to your outcome.

Chris L

I've used a paddle strop almost exclusively for the last 6 months and have razors with micro bevels that seem to be stropping just as effectively as the traditionally beveled ones.

Add me to the "take it off" crowd. The strop has some give, enough that the tiny difference in angle won't matter.

Josh

On a pasted paddle I leave the tape on due to the firmness of the paddle, I want to maintain the same angle used on my stones.

On my pasted linen, hanging strop, I don't feel the necessity to keep the tape on the spine.

Steve

I remove the tape when moving to the strops because the tape interferes with me "feeling" the blades reaction to the strops.

I think it may depend on the type of paddle strop.
The type that has a piece of leather glued to a wooden paddle has far less "give" than the type that stretches out a leather belt by mean of a sort of vise.
On the latter I would get rid of the tape and adjust the vise for just a bit more slack, if necessary at all.
On the former, I don't know.

Bart.

I usually remove the tape as it seems to make little difference on a hanging strop - I agree with a previous post on this. Odd when you consider that taping does leave a visible bevel!