Thread: Weird results from the Marker test

Originally Posted by Ryan82

+1 with Glen.

Zombie, I dont know why you are so adversed to using tape, but I'd rather use tape and save time and steel then wear down a good razor over the course of several honing sessions. Just a thought for your consideration

I know that these ramifications would probably never hit in my lifetime, but, God forbid I have a son, I want the razor to have no real complications over it's lifetime... The longer you hone with tape, the stouter the bevel will get, until you need to regrind the edge, or hone from scratch without tape... In my mind it could get to the point where you have to strop taped...

Ask anyone who's done any blade or scale work for me... I'm a compulsive worrier >.<

And I'm not really losing that much metal... I keep all my strokes very light and low on pressure until I can find what works...

All that being said, I'm getting better, fairly quickly.

Fingers crossed, eh?

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

I know that these ramifications would probably never hit in my lifetime, but, God forbid I have a son, I want the razor to have no real complications over it's lifetime... The longer you hone with tape, the stouter the bevel will get, until you need to regrind the edge, or hone from scratch without tape... In my mind it could get to the point where you have to strop taped...

Regardless of whether you use tape or not, your bevel will get "stouter" - that's exactly what hone wear is. If you don't believe me, well, just look at your razor. If you want to compare how much tape affects bevel width, take two identical razors, tape one, and hone the heck out of both. I'd be curious to see the after pictures.

There are a lot of posts about how little tape affects the bevel angle. I also put up a poll thread about whether or not members have ever "worn down" razors from normal use - meaning maintenance after the razor was already shave ready. Maybe 5 said yes. Put those to together - it doesn't really matter if you tape or not, unless you are an excessive honer. I can't provide numbers cause I've never done it, but I'd bet it would take at least a few hundred touchups removes the same amount of metal as 1 bevel setting. If you use the same razor daily, you'd touch up... what? every other week at most? That's maybe 10 to 30 years of daily shaving and regular touchups equating to the removal of maybe 1/32 of blade width.

All those old blades with massive hone wear - I DO NOT buy it that that was put on by people who knew what they were doing who just did touchups to a regularly used razor. Sure, a barber might put excessive wear onto a razor, because he has to be 100% sure every shave he gives will be extremely comfortable for his customers or else he'll lose his customers. For the rest, I'd bet it was people who just didn't know what they were doing; it happens today so why not back then.

In short, I think you are worried about nothing. Tape or no tape, I'll bet you $10 that even in 10 years you'll never notice the difference.

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

And I'm not really losing that much metal... I keep all my strokes very light and low on pressure until I can find what works...

I suppose "that much" is relative, cause to me it looks like you took a heck of a lot of metal off that razor (unless the bevels and spine wear were that big when you started). Regardless... it doesn't matter mot light or low pressure your strokes are, if you spend hours on a bevel setter, you are removing a lot of metal.

i always tape hone my practice razors just to keep bevel thin other wise the bevel becomes big i hate that, i prefer a nice thin bevel. always set bevel with tape then remove and carry on as normal with no tape. thats how i do it.

if i was honing that razor i would of tryed a thin hone or gone straight to roll .

Although it's more time consuming I've been an advocate of reverse honing for a few years.

Apply a shaving edge first, then back into a good bevel with every failure.

Spending hours trying to develop a good bevel, and hoping you know it when you see it, takes away most of the razor's geometry that could have created a good bevel in the first place.

Using a 1K stone, although effective, is also like sculpting wood with a flame thrower.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Using a 1K stone, although effective, is also like sculpting wood with a flame thrower.

Damn Alan. I really want to hang out with you again sometime!
I feel like I squandered the last time we were hanging out.

-Rob

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Although it's more time consuming I've been an advocate of reverse honing for a few years.

Apply a shaving edge first, then back into a good bevel with every failure.

Could you elaborate on that please?

I'm assuming that you are suggesting taping the spine to set the bevel, then removing the tape to "set the spine" and reseting the bevel to the new untaped angle. I don't know what you mean by "then back into a good bevel with every failure."