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Thanks for the response. Now off to get some stones!:)

I'm just trying to get some of thinking out of the way before I attempt honing. Doing it the opposite way would doom a decent edge on a piece of steel. Elsewhere in this thread we find:

"As I said...

And well put. Imagine what it would be like to try to touch up a razor that had been fairly heavily taped by someone like me concerned about spine wear only to find that on 4K or 8K nothing is going...

Yes it does help. It's nice to know that the residue can be easily cleaned off. Thanks!

OK, I guess I'm ready to start honing now. All I need is some stones, some skill, some practice, and lots of luck. Maybe I'd better go ahead and get a straight too!

Got it, all of it, and thanks. Still I wonder about the effect of rubbing the taped spine across the stones, especially lower numerical grit stones. When I used to sharpen knives, I had to be...

I'm indebted to both of you gentlemen for sharing your knowledge. As regards the YouTube video (and your comment was to the point regarding believing everything one sees there), the gent doing the...

It sounds like most honers are allowing for a certain amount of "hone wear" on the spine. Looking at some of the blades I've seen on here, I think it would be a travesty to generate a fine edge on...

Thanks for all the help, and I now appreciate that the spine serves as a guide, with or without tape, to establish the angle for the bevel.

My question is "What effect does that have on the spine,...

I get your point on the spine not being eroded significantly by the honing without tape. I guess I'm concerned more about appearance, say in the example of a beautifully polished blade. Will honing...

Thanks for the helpful reply. In the case of a really fine Straight, the spine on the stone won't cause damage above 4000 grit, and it probably would at the 1000 grit level? I'm just trying to make...

I've read plenty on honing and have watched lots of videos, but I'm left with a question I cannot find the answer to. I understand why the spine is taped, to avoid wear on the spine. What I don't...