Thread: Some rather basic questions...

Nope…

So here’s the fact.

Never seen a razor that has stopped shaving or the ability to hold an edge from using tape and causing too steep an angle.

But there are many, many razors that have had their spines ground thin that will no longer hold an edge. The fix is to hone with tape…

Now if you taped a razor and you did want to reduce the angle for what ever reason you could always grind the spine, you can NEVER add steel to the spine.

This has been debated over and over and this challenge has been made over and over… still have not seen one… perhaps because they do not exist…

Show me a razor that has stopped shaving because of tape?

Since your nom de plume is Euclid I would have though the least you could do was to provide a diagram to illustrate your point. If you study mine you will see that there was no geometrically possible way of avoiding increasing the width of the hone area next to the blade when removing a chip of the size shown. Whether or not the spine is taped is immaterial as far as the geometry of the edge is concerned. The only advantage that I can of not increasing the hone area next to the spine it makes the honing quicker in future. The argument that the spine will be badly reduced is simply not true in the case of the recent honing of my razor, which is a substantial wedge.

If you want diagrams http://www.coticule.be/wedges.html . Download the excel file to do the bevel angle calculations for your razor without tape and with different multiples of tape. It can also be used with hollow ground blades and anything in between.

Most of what people refer to as wedges today are not true wedges but merely heavy grinds. So long as the blade has any concavity to it then it is not a true wedge. A flat sided true wedge would be a bugger to hone without the use of a temporary false spine while honing. I don't think a diagram is necessary to picture that in the minds eye.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

If you want diagrams http://www.coticule.be/wedges.html . Download the excel file to do the bevel angle calculations for your razor without tape and with different multiples of tape. It can also be used with hollow ground blades and anything in between.

Most of what people refer to as wedges today are not true wedges but merely heavy grinds. So long as the blade has any concavity to it then it is not a true wedge. A flat sided true wedge would be a bugger to hone without the use of a temporary false spine while honing. I don't think a diagram is necessary to picture that in the minds eye.

Bob

Not just a bugger to hone Bob - an impossibility. A perfectly flat blade of 5/8" or more placed on a flat hone creates too much 'sticktion' to make honing possible. The only reason we can hone 'wedges' is because they are not.

As for the OP - I very much doubt that you will ever get that blade geometry looking right by honing. That's not to say it will not be a good shaver, but in my opinion get used to the uneven bevel.

Originally Posted by UKRob

Not just a bugger to hone Bob - an impossibility. A perfectly flat blade of 5/8" or more placed on a flat hone creates too much 'sticktion' to make honing possible. The only reason we can hone 'wedges' is because they are not.

As for the OP - I very much doubt that you will ever get that blade geometry looking right by honing. That's not to say it will not be a good shaver, but in my opinion get used to the uneven bevel.

I agree about a true wedge being "near" impossible to hone. That is why I mentioned using a temporary false spine. It is temporarily clipped onto the razors spine for honing and then removed. There has been a post or two about that on here.

Agreed about the OPs razor.

Bob

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Show me a razor that has stopped shaving because of tape?

When I put tape on the edge it stops shaving....LOL

You're arrogant that's why I posted, I see guys attack new people on here who ask a question and get a smartA$$ reply especially if they mention that they know how to sharpen a knife, or an axe or in this case an engineer!
All I hear is chest thumping - You know what, our straight razors are the only sharp tools that I know of that have a built in Jig, how simple is that? I would THINK someone who can sharpen a knife (without a jig) with a little non - condescending instruction and chest thumping could figure this simple stuff out. But I see Nigel has jumped on the band wagon now, so I really don't care....

There is a difference between theory, pretty drawings and reality.

Go for it, glad you think you got it figured out… Grind away…

The size of the chip does not matter…

Try it and see, no theory, no arguing… no problem, just try it...

If he or anyone else wants to grind their razors, fine. Just don’t tell people that it is the proper way to hone, because it is not.

Some people just want to argue.