When do you use tape while honing? Is the reason for using it just to protect the spine, or do you get some advantage in the angle? I've got this wade and butcher..Its extremly unevan wedge,with a big smile on it...would you use tape in such cases?
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When do you use tape while honing? Is the reason for using it just to protect the spine, or do you get some advantage in the angle? I've got this wade and butcher..Its extremly unevan wedge,with a big smile on it...would you use tape in such cases?
I tape to either protect the spine on a razor that is not mine, or to reduce the amount of metal that needs to be removed, particularly on a wedge, by increasing the spine width. In fact in some situations you might use multiple layers of tape for that purpose.
In your situation, with a wedge, using tape could be a good idea. Take a look at the spine to see why there might be a smile - some wedges have uneven spine thickness (thicker in the middle than at the tip and shank ends). You will probably have to make sure that you rock the razor on the hone to follow that smile and hit the entire edge evenly.
James.
I only tape wedges as it speeds up the honing a bit, and I usually just use one layer of tape, be sure to get a quality tape, I usually use 3M as it doesn't wear out as fast as some others.