Thread: How do you tell if tape has been used on your razor?

If you send your razor out to be honed, how can you tell if a person used tape or not?

I do not think spine wear is a 100% accurate way.

I.e, my spine has wear on it now from the last person that honed it, I send it out to a different person, and the person that hones it puts tape on it and hones it.

The reason I am asking is that when it comes time to refresh my edge on a finishing stone, I want to know if I need to use tape or not.

Thank you

PM them and ask.

Most of us will keep a record of what razors we have taped and which we have not. If you cant find out, its fairly easy to tell by giving it the magic marker treatment, and running it over a hone without tape. if it WAS taped, there will still be marker along the very most edge.

+1on magpies advice. It's very easy to tell by using the magic marker test.

Michael

Originally Posted by Magpie

Most of us will keep a record of what razors we have taped and which we have not. If you cant find out, its fairly easy to tell by giving it the magic marker treatment, and running it over a hone without tape. if it WAS taped, there will still be marker along the very most edge.

But if you do this, won’t you have ruined your edge in the process if you find that it WAS honed with tape?

Originally Posted by Swan

The reason I am asking is that when it comes time to refresh my edge on a finishing stone, I want to know if I need to use tape or not.

Thank you

Some things to know,

1. The difference for 1 Layer of 3M 700 tape is soooooo minute that you will be hard pressed to see it even using the MM test as that test will almost negate the effect. We are talking a difference of about .67 of one degree on about a 1/3 of 1 mm edge when referenceing a 6/8 razor ie: pretty small stuff (Exculdes Wedges)

2. It takes about 20 laps on a Norton 4k as a reference to eliminate all traces of a 1 layer bevel when new (Yes I have tested it)

3. At refreshing time this difference is even less because of edge damage and repair from shaving

4. It doesn't matter one way or the other the refreshing will even it all out anyway but if you want to make sure then just use 1 layer of tape that will make it work easy either way..


Another example of "Theory vs Real Life" in theory all the fears about the bevel are true, and in real life they are of no consequence


(I have tried to qualify all my statements above, but for ease of understanding these numbers apply to an average Hollow grind razor)

I never said it would be easy to SEE the edge, just that its easy to do it!

and if you only made one or two strokes on an 8k stone, I doubt you would touch the edge to ruin it. Like Glen said, its only a tiny change.
You can always ask who ever you have hone your razors that they NOT use tape, so that you will never have to deal with it come touch up time.

I always hone with tape even of I have to send out to get homes because it's frustrating me I always ask the honer to use tape

Originally Posted by rmalak

PM them and ask.

This is the only way to find out if someone has.

I use this (it's basically a mathematical model to calculate the honing angle, I suck at math and hence have to trust others) to calculate the honing angle, trying to keep the angle between 16 and 20 degrees which I've found are optimal for shaving. This can give you an idea, but no certainty as the person having honed your razor may not have gone by bevel angle.