Thread: Spine Wear on New Razors

I have noticed that some new razors come with some visible spine wear from the factory, such as Dovos for instance, and others with no visible hone wear, such as Thiers Issard.

I have also noticed that most vintage NOS razors have no visible hone wear.

Does this mean that some razors are honed flat on the hone and others are honed raised?

Or is the spine wear buffed out after honing?

If in fact some new razors are honed raised to avoid visible hone wear then does this not goes against the frequently read theory that the razor is designed to have its spine and bevel wear simultaneously, hence, without tape ?

Usually electrical tape is used on the spine when seeking to reduce spine wear from honing. Straight razors are almost always honed with the spine flat on the hone. There are some techniques different than this to correct damage but it would not apply to a new razor. New razors should not have much visible hone wear.

I have not purchased many new razors but all of them have had some degree of spine wear, some less some more. I have had several TI razors too. Each one of them had hone wear. I do know that the initial bevel is set with the spine raised but it is eventually taken to the stones where the spine is laid flat. I am guessing each razor has it peculiarities, which make it harder or less so to hone. So each razor will have varying degrees of hone wear, maybe some will not have much at all.

Some of it depends on the original grind, and how much of a flat are is left at the spine - this could cause a difference in the perceived amount of hone wear. In any case hone wear is not at all bad. Look at (almost) any razor that has been around for 100+ years and it has been honed flat with no protection. Personally I think it is one of the nicer aesthetics to see a nice shiny bevel and a shiny spine from the hones.

IMHO
Hone wear to me is like tread wear on a tire. A little is okay but to much and you know it's worn out. Uneven drives me nuts as it says it's out of alignment.
New razors should not have any and if they do they are made in a hurry or by less than top notch craftsmen. This is what makes customs so nice. Time is taken to make sure it is all perfect.

Makes sense, that the manufacturer would set the bevel with the razor raised off the stone, that can explain why there is very little visible hone wear.

As far as customs, there are still several makers who use tape when honing a new razor before sale.

I have also seen vintage razors that have clearly been honed and have reduced in width but have no spine wear.

Wedge razors also seem to be majoritarily honed raised off the stone.

So is it possible that the frequent instruction of wearing the spine when honing simply the result of what was easiest for the consumer to follow and thus it became the "Tradition" ?

My main concern is always shaveability. If it has some wear, that ok. The bevel has to be sey then amd I prefer soine wear with a set bevel than no spine wear and its.not set.

Yea about that theory... more like myth.

I have seen video of razor manufactures holding the spine off the stone when final honing. As I recall Mastro Livi does the same in one of his videos.

I recently purchased some in the tissue, NOS razors with no hone ware. So that may have been and still may be the practice for some..

Somehow I really don't see manufacturers honing new razors with the spine off the hone. It would be hard to maintain consistency stroke to stroke. Many older true wedges that I have seen photos of show massive and uneven hone wear to the spine and matching uneven bevel. Don't know why some new razors exhibit spine wear and other do not.

Bob

At 3:47 seems to answer the question..you add a human of any process and it changes slightly and constantly.



~Richard