It sounds like most honers are allowing for a certain amount of "hone wear" on the spine. Looking at some of the blades I've seen on here, I think it would be a travesty to generate a fine edge on one of them and scar the spine however slightly. I realize that they are functional entities, made to cut hair with, but they have an aesthetic value as well. I guess that is where the taping of the spine comes in. I just can't figure why someone would take the tape off at the 4000 grit level. At that level, would there be no spine scarring?