Thread: Question on taping a wedge

Lets see if i can put my thoughts into words. When taping a full hollow the edges of the tape are tucked in the hollow so you are honing on the taped spine. If you taped a wedge wouldn't you be honing on the edge of the tape and no the taped spine?

No not really. Wedges are very slightly concave. If they were not the whole of the blade would make contact. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean.

Umm..yes and no..the way I see it, by taping the spine, especially if you use a couple of layers you're almost creating a hollow ground effect putting more focus on creating a beveled edge. Lets see what some of the other members chime in with. Good question

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Wedges are very slightly concave. If they were not the whole of the blade would make contact.

Except for a true wedge. The reason ive ask is concerning that doubl duck ive honed down to a true wedge.

Originally Posted by simpleman

Except for a true wedge. The reason ive ask is concerning that doubl duck ive honed down to a true wedge.

I haven't run across one of those yet except for the wedges we used to use to dog down iron when welding in the cement plant. Beat them with 8 pound hammers though so I guess we ain't talking about the same thing.

I wonder if i really need a bevel on this razor? Its sharper than a regular knife already and im still less than 500 grit.

I guess i should have clarified somewhat..creating a new bevel is what I meant..there is and has to be a bevel on a razor or it would just be a blunt edge..lol. With a true wedge the bevel is essentially the whole width of the blade...if you tape that wedge then its almost as though you're creating a double bevel and involves removing alot less steel.

I think I may have run into the problem you are describing. My tape is 3/4" wide and when I lapped it over the spine on my Wade & Butcher 5/8 wedge the bottom of the tape "high centered" so to say, and the blade would rock between the spine and edge. So, I put a strip of tape on a piece of glass and used a straight edge and exacto knife to reduce the width of the tape to 9/16". The tape doesn't come as far down the side of the blade now. No rocking. Works great! Still not shave ready though.

Rob.

Originally Posted by simpleman

Lets see if i can put my thoughts into words. When taping a full hollow the edges of the tape are tucked in the hollow so you are honing on the taped spine. If you taped a wedge wouldn't you be honing on the edge of the tape and no the taped spine?

Tape is a tool. Like any tool use it where it makes sense.

If I think about it...
Tape protects the spine, raises the spine and can help clear
a sloppy transition at the junction where the blade meets the shank.
But tape is soft, flexible and interacts with the hone in odd ways.
Odd because it wears so much faster than steel.

In your case the tape would run down the face of the blade a lot
and raise the spine more than normal because of the geometry.
You could trim it to a very even band as a previous poster noted.

With the black marker test tape will make it obvious how the
line of the cutting edge lines up with the hones and may make
it easy to decide on the correct stroke. Test this with a fine
(+4k) hone.

With a wedge that you describe it may also make it quicker to
set a bevel and hone the edge to see if the steel is worth
more bother. But do not over do this because this false bevel
will eventually have to go. Go, because it will get hard to maintain
more than it being bad.

Using modern fast hones... including modern film on glass, just hone it up.
Set the bevel, and then finish with a progression to 8K or 10K or so.

My only close to a wedge blade responded very well to Woodcrafters
film on glass, 15micron, 5micron, 0.3 micron.... and now
a touch up on a 10K/12K hone keeps it very happy. YMMV.

I mention film on glass. With all the steel exposed to the hone
by a big wedge identical honing surfaces help a lot and reduces
the time spent. Once the bevel is set and matches a finishing
hone maintaining the edge for years is almost a snap -- old school
honing that tended to let the hone dish concentrates wear on the spine and
the edge... and as long as the edge was never abused this would
work for a lifetime.

Originally Posted by simpleman

Except for a true wedge. The reason ive ask is concerning that doubl duck ive honed down to a true wedge.

Here is the problem,,, You are not dealing with a true wedge, trust me here they are rare, you are dealing with a worn out spine
So you cannot add metal back on that spine, so you are going to have to add tape or toss the razor...

It is going to take about 3 layers to get it about right...

Here is a honing trick for bad worn spines...

Use the fact that tape wears down to your advantage instead of as a disadvantage...
Put one layer of tape on the spine, start honing, after you have established a good wear pattern on that tape, so that you would normally be ready to toss it and change it out STOP...
Put on another layer right over the worn tape, with your razor maybe two...

Hone as normal, never take the half worn piece off until you are done, it serves to even out the spine, now you are honing on an even surface with the next layer, or two in your case...

Try it, it should work for you, that is if the razor is real special to ya, myself at that amount of work, I would be thinking new razor...