Thread: Using tape for touch-ups

It's OK!

I knew you love old razors, NOS or used.
I just objected to the "destroyed", to keep them alive longer with minimal hone wear is a good thing I think, be it tape or no tape!

Originally Posted by Lemur

I wouldn't say a tool is "destroyed" just be course you can see it's been used and honed, I consider it part of their life!

It WAS part of a razors Life for sure
But the damage can be lessoned today,Is no metal cutting tool known to man that has to be sharpened that will one day not be destroyed)

I can give you one fact

I have seen way more razors damaged by bad hone wear New or Vintage, then I have seen damaged by using tape

Originally Posted by brooksie967

I hate your minimalist approach to things Bob!

Yea, sometimes I even hate myself.

Bob

Well, I guess I'm old school!
I'll stick to my old traditions and love for old tools!

But I'll keep the tape trick in my bags of tricks for when I see a need for it.

Originally Posted by Lemur

Well, I guess I'm old school!
I'll stick to my old traditions and love for old tools!

But I'll keep the tape trick in my bags of tricks for when I see a need for it.

I am not a tape fan either except in specific circumstances. I am always amazed at how little steel I remove from a razor when honing unless it is a repair job. Once the razor is honed, it can be touched up and maintained for years with virtually no additional hone wear.

Not much we can do about old wear though or poor honing attempts. If you use just one layer of tape, the razor will still reflect the poor wear on the spine and it will be visible in the overall shape of the bevel. If you use more layers of tape you can remedy this with a steeper false bevel and that will work although I hate the feel of the tape on my razor, especially with multiple layers. Add to that the folks that change the tape with every stone and to me it is just a nuisance. I am not able to change out tape in 10 seconds. It probably takes me around 30 seconds....... Did I mention that for me, I lose some of the feeling on the stone because of the tape and that it gunks up my stones........YMMV

So after the unbelievable amount of times this gets discussed, it is still personal preference, marketing by some and as stated, for the most part little difference.

I probably still hone more razors than anyone on the planet and still do not find any significant advantage to using the tape on every razor, but again that is simply my preference.

Have fun

The answer to the OP is...

Yes.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

The answer to the OP is...

Yes.

Thanks!

I really thought this thread would have ended with the first reply - which was the same answer by the way! I had figured that if a razor was honed with tape then it should be touched-up with tape for the simple reason of maintaining the same angle of steel to stone. Either way, I have enjoyed seeing this thread go from a geometrical question to a philosophical answer!

Thanks to all for all the great stuff!

(And by all means, it doesn't have to end here!)

I thought it is written… in the Wiki somewhere…

“When the word Tape is used in conjunction with a Question mark, anywhere in a thread, it is the signal for the coats to come off and the start of a good old fashion Donnybrook. Any and all members must render an opinion on any topic remotely related to the OP”

It like when you hear the screech of brakes and you snap you head…

Who need Reality TV and the “Antique scrounging, Machinegun Shooting, Amish, Biker, Hobbit Housewives of Beverly Hills, when there is a good TAPE THREAD on SRP.

What I really want to know, Lynn… is how you got FOX news to run the banner ad on the bottom of my TV screen this morning “Tape Thread on SRP LIVE?"

We all need to smile more…

Originally Posted by Joegags

Gentlemen-
I would think that knowlege of simple geometry should make the answer to this question obvious, but I have to ask anyway. If a razor was sharpened with a layer of electrical tape through the full progression from bevel set to finishing stone, does one also have to use tape for the 5-7 swipes during a subsequent touch-up on a barber hone?


Thanks a lot!

I love my razors and treat them like babies. I use the tape just to protect against hone wear.

One thing I enjoy doing occasionally is visiting antique stores. When I see straight razors there most of them have severe hone wear. Some of the people who sell these things clearly don't know how to assess the condition of the razors and charge good money for them without knowing they are shot. That's what makes me want to use tape to preserve mine. I think my razors will easily last the rest of my life.