Stropping?

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by Leclec13, May 1, 2019.

?

If you used tape when honing, do you use tape when stropping?

  1. Yes

    2 vote(s)
    11.1%
  2. No

    16 vote(s)
    88.9%
  1. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    I just tapped for the first time. spine had considerable wear.
    I usually don’t believe in it, I think spine and edge need to wear together.

    I prefer a bench strop.
     
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  2. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Forgive my ignorance, but do you mean taping while honing?
     
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  3. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    People will put tape on spine to prevent spine wear. And some other reasons. It does increase bevel angle also.
     
  4. Rkep01

    Rkep01 Well-Known Member

    I use the thinnest mylar tape I can find when honing hollow grinds to prevent wear on the spine. I use the thickest tape I can find, usually electrical tape when honing full wedge blades
     
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  5. thesuperiorshave

    thesuperiorshave Well-Known Member

    If you hone w/ tape, you create a bevel ° slightly more obtuse than the spine-to-edge geometry would dictate. If you strop the edge thereafter sans the tape, it would be akin to digging the spine in to the strop (to deflect the strop the same depth as the tape) on a razor honed w/o tape.

    As strops deflect to the edge/spine geometry quite easily, I'd think those stropping w/o tape on razors honed with it are definitely in some sense not stropping with as light an action as possible. But unlikely any harm would come from it, and on some hides it might work best. On a glassy horse shell I definitely think it is stropping less than ideally.
     
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  6. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I have to disagree. You do not take into account the spine does not dig into anything, when stropping, unless the spine is angled, like some custom razors, with sharp angles. . You also are not taking into account that the hanging strop is flexible, and it matters not, if there is 1, 2, 3, or 0 layers of tape, when stropping. Balsa strops might be the exception, because they are hard and do not conform to the blades edge much.

    .
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
  7. thesuperiorshave

    thesuperiorshave Well-Known Member

    <<Edited because I used the word "obtuse" incorrectly according to Merriam-Webster>>

    The idea of the strop is to present a medium moving away from the spine at as parallel as possible an angle as that which is naturally upon the razor/knife with the minimum of pressure. The alignment of spine and edge helps make the ideal pressure.

    The spine may not 'dig in' to anything, but to make the example as plain as possible, if you honed the razor with enough tape to raise the spine 1cm and the edge was with the resultant less acute angle and thereafter stropped with the spine flush (no tape), you could potentially have a gap between the bevel plane and the stropping plane depending upon overall downward pressure and the hide and how taut you've got it.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
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  8. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers


    You need to rethink your calculations, and wording. You say raising the spine 1 cm would make an obtuse angle. since there are 2.5 cm per inch, and I use Scotch Super 88, which is 8.5 mils thick. 8.5 mils is only .02159 cm's. It would take 46 or so layers of Super 88 tape to raise the spine 1 cm. Since you used the words Obtuse Angle, the use of the word Obtuse, when applied to angles implies a more than 90 degree angle but less than 180 degree angle. Are you sure you know what you are talking about???
    Basically very simple math, unless I am mistaken.
     
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  9. thesuperiorshave

    thesuperiorshave Well-Known Member

    Fine, you win, Dalton. Nice technicality! Let's change everything I wrote from "very obtuse" to "less acute".

    When you tape the spine and hone the razor with spine and edge flush to the flat honing medium, you make the bevel's cutting angle *less acute* than it would be without the tape if the razor were honed with spine and edge flush to flat honing medium.

    Tape enough and then strop without that tape in place with spine and edge simultaneously flush to the leather and you could have a bevel not being touched by leather (which is impossible if the spine were given the same tape as during honing).
     
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  10. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    :happy088:
     
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  11. Billyfergie

    Billyfergie The Scottish Ninja

    I Only Use Tape When I Hone Razors..Anyone that has Honed Many Razors Knows that the Spine Can Take a Tanking on the Hones...You Only Need to Look at Some of the Razors on EBay & I Have Honed Many that have Excessive Hone Wear on the Spine..So the Spine & Edge Dont Necessarily Hone Evenly..I Curse Razors with Moderate Spine Wear..:happy097:

    Oh..Yeah & Most Have Never had a Proper Bevel Set in their Life..Particularly the Heel Area..Massive Hone Wear on the Spine Causes Real Problems for Example when Wedges or Near Wedges have Been Honed for Years Without Tape...A Wedge without Hone Wear on the Spine Hones Up Like a Dream..:D

    Billy..:chores016:
     
  12. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    i mostly use diamond pasted balsa and a paddle strop, i only have one razor that was "taped" I will continue to strop on non flexible strops with tape.

    for hanging i do see the need for tape
     
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  13. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    I understand taping when honing, but is anyone advocating taping before stropping? Because I would give up straights if that were a prerequisite.
     
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  14. Leclec13

    Leclec13 Well-Known Member

    my question was taped razor hone:: taped stroped?
    it got complicated because a padde, hanging or loom strop performs differently than non flexible strop ...bench or fixed balsa

    if you are using hanging strop then i dont think there is need to tape while stroping

    i have kept only one razor that was hones with tape...... i prefer not to hone with tape
     
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  15. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    There are definitely differing opinions on this...
    Tape does prevent spine wear.
    Tape does change the bevel angle. (for better or worse, I could not say)
    I am a serious honing :whacky024:
     
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  16. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Not me.
     
  17. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    So you tape your razors every time you lap them on a leather strop? and to clarify, I am not giving up straights, I enjoy it too much, but I am not going to tape my razor spines before I strop them.
     
  18. Billyfergie

    Billyfergie The Scottish Ninja

    Scott Said No..Never Heard of Folks Taping SRs Whilst Stropping...:happy088:

    Billy..:chores016:
     
  19. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    If you have one or two razors, and hone them often, with a taped spine, there could be an issue, with too steep an angle, for proper bevel. Barbers, who used their razors many times daily perhaps. A Properly honed, and stropped razor shouldn't need to be rehoned very often. When it needs to be done, a minute amount of metal will need to be removed. 8k+ stones should suffice.
     
  20. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Noooo tape on razors when stropping. :D
     

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