Thread: Electric tape while honing

Personally, part of the hobby to me is pushing the steel as far as I can. Each razor has a minimum bevel angle that it will support do to the steel and it's temper. I like to get close to that limit on my personal razors. Because of this I rarely use tape.

For a razor that I'm honing for someone else, chasing a minimum bevel angle is a fools errand because finding it will yield a very short lived edge. Also new shavers without a lot of experience tend to use a higher angle and need an edge that is more robust and long lasting. I normally calculate the bevel angle before I start and decide whether using tape for a more robust edge is prudent.

I strop on Chrome Oxide Polyester Canvas strop, usually 10 laps between stones and never had a problem, I do change tape frequently though.

Tape a spine while learning to hone, when you will most probably use too much pressure and do too many laps. Once mastered then decide if you wish to continue with tape.

I tape.