Thread: Strop with tape?

If my razor is honed with tape, should I strop it with tape too?


Thanks Ladies and Gents

No,,,,,,,,,,,

Slightly longer version of Hirlau's absolutely correct and pithy answer:

Nooooooo.












OK, seriously though - tape adds a fraction of a mm to the spine height when laid flat. On a hard flat surface such as a hone this will show up on the edge. However, a leather strop is soft and yielding, even the ones that feel hard and don't flex much. The loss of the minute angle change that occurs when you take the tape off is more than accommodated by the leather of the strop. Even if you used a couple of layers of tape.

The only time it may be an issue is if you have a razor that requires a "shim" when honing (another piece of metal that slides over the spine to create the correct razor angle). If you have a razor like that (they are rare, so you probably don't), then you need to strop with the shim attached also.

James.

However, there is some fancy spines out there that can really make your strop look less fancy, anybody tape those or is there some trick to stropping them?
I do it on an old strop that looks worse than it is...

I've NEVER Stropped with tape. With that said, I'd never considered those with Fancy/Exotic Spines!

The only razor here with that kind of spine is my son's 8/8 Friodur with a worked spine. It has never ever given any of my strops any kind of 'cosmetic' damage.

Here's a Pic!



I don't know if that qualifies for a spine that could cause the cosmetic damage!

I've only had one spine that would mar the surface of a strop & it was one that I made. It was properly chastised, lightly sanded with 1k, & buffed smooth. Nice part about a spine is that it's not as sensitive to heat...within reason of course.

Worked spines and some of the larger W&Bs and GBs will mar the strop. The results can easily be remedied with some hard palm rubbing. Residual stripes may remain, but they don't impair the strop's functioning.

I would never strop with tape. All that glue makes too much draw and the blade can get stuck and you wind up scrapping the pieces of tape off the blade. I only do my final stropping with leather.