Thread: People who tape their spine, then sell that razor irritate me.

Ian, listen to what they say, they know their stuff. I agree that knife honing is a more complex craft than razor honing, but the experience is not interchangeable.

I have two obvious little peeves with taping spines and I hope the meisters here will not mind me sharing it:

1. the tape wears off way faster than steel, and may lead to rounded bevels if you are not careful about replacing worn tape frequently enough and I hate replacing it because I am a lazy animal (this could be mitigated by choosing a better tape than my $1 electrician's tape from the Dollar Tree stores). OTOH, fresh tape usually results in the very edge touching the hone (if your bevel is set right); which is good especially when you do it before moving to a higher grit hone.

2. once you begin taping some of them and/or use different numbers of layers, you have to have a discipline for a good honing log or have a damn good memory.

To figure out whether and how much taping a razor may need, I use the old good trick with a permanent marker and a few laps on a fine polisher. Sometimes asking the sellers does not work, especially if they had honed the razor months and months ago.

Originally Posted by sparq

Ian, listen to what they say, they know their stuff. I agree that knife honing is a more complex craft than razor honing, but the experience is not interchangeable.

The real funny thing is I totally agree here, I can't sharpen a knife for love or money... But I don't try and claim that because I can sharpen a razor, too stupid sharp, that it somehow makes me qualified to tell anyone how...

Here is a quote from one of Lynn Abrams archived posts,

"I think the biggest problem out there not unlike shaving is that people think because they have honed knives or tools forever and shaved since they were 12 that it's gonna be very easy and expect it to be. "The problem *CAN'T* be me". But a razors edge is a very delicate instrument and with a little patience and experimentation, you *CAN* learn to hone with the best of them, even if you are just honing for your own satisfaction. The search for that absolute perfect or just a little better shave resulting from that just a little better edge is never ending."

We who have honed with 1 layer ... or whatever ... of tape know what works. I have chosen to go to no tape since becoming confident in my skill level. When I was new I feared I might do more harm than good without the tape. Here is another quote from Lynn Abrams,

"Where I see the problems daily when honing or fixing people razors is that they use hundreds of strokes and uneven pressure and end up with bevels on top of bevels and uneven spines and all kinds of interesting stuff. Every time I see sandpaper scratches on an edge or blade, I know I need to go from scratch on that razor to repair the deep scratch marks, set a new bevel and re-hone the razor."

Until a new guy gets the chops down tape may be a good idea. Once learned it is certainly optional. IME one way is as good as the other.YMMV.