Originally Posted by
English
If everyone tapes the spine....always..... the second hand razor market is dead.
The whole point about the untaped spine is that it tells you the age of the razor.
The razor is TRUE. You can see the hone wear on the spine, it tells you the usage on the blade.
Good point.
So if a razor is taped, how will you know if a razor was originally a 3/4" or a 11/16" or a 5/8". Does it matter? Yes it does because razors do not last forever. A 3/4" honed to 5/8" is not a very good razor. It does not shave well.
I think this will depend on the razor. I have many razors that have been honed far beyond 1/8 of what they started out as, and they are perfectly fine.
From a metalurgical stand point, the razor is a homogenous piece of steel that has been hardened equally from spine to edge. So you could literally hone the razor into dust before the steel's properties become unsuitable.
But from a geometric stand point, taping the spine will increase the bevel angle as the razor ages and is sharpened, thus making it more and more obtuse and eventually unusable. But that'll be a long way down the road.
I'm going to say strongly something I feel deeply, having watched the second hand razor market develop over the years. Taping the spine of a razor is like clocking the milage meter on a car.
In my opininion it should be illegal if you ever intend to trade the razor.
If you wish to experiment, do what you like, but when you have finished don't forget to throw the razor in the bin or clearly label it as "honed with a taped spine".
Some say they do it to protect the gold or etching on the blade. Sorry, but once the honing cuts into the etching, the blade is beyond its sell by date.
But it is a valid method of honing damascus razors and those with spine decoration that would be devalued by honing without tape.
If you don't believe me, buy a tired looking razor off e bay and see for yourself. Or buy a refurb. that looks as if the blade is under size and see if you can get a good shave out of it.
I have, the shaves are generally fine.
You know, you can make a butter knife razor sharp. But you will never get a good shave out of a butter knife.
Not to be a smart ass, but that is because butter knives are made of junk steel or silver (antiques etc.).
I have a paring knife that I made out of 1095 steel that will actually take a finer edge than some of my razors (tried it just for fun one time). The intended purpose of the item has nothing to do with the edge it will take, it's a matter of steel composition and hardening procedure. And by "finer edge" I mean sharp as well as tough, which is what a razors edge is.