Rigarazor tape

[Eastcoast30]

I just won a Rigarazor and have heard that they are quite well made. I always check with all vendors as to whether or not they tape the spine when making shave ready. I do this so that I can touch up with the same set bevel. Andrej replied that he uses a layer of Scapa 2702 tape. That tape has a thickness of .13 mm. (not sure if that includes the adhesive). Anyway, that tape is sourced from the UK and not available in the US. Shipping cost from the UK to the US is about $30 for a roll. You can find some on ebay but you need to buy three rolls (costly). Andrej is sending me a roll with the razor (nice guy!)

Many on this forum have a Rigarazor, so I thought it would be good info for them.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Yesterday, re-honed a razor that had been honed with a layer of Duck Brand electrical tape and layer of Kapton, with just a layer of Kapton.

10 laps on a Naniwia, 8k Snow White, cut a new bevel to the edge. Finished on a Jnat without issue.

Taped bevels are not the big issue some make them out to be. Simplify, hone everything with just Kapton.

Full Disclosure, eBay Kapton, may not be “real” Kapton, but it works and is cheap. Buy a Dollar Store dispenser to keep the frustration level to a minimum, will stick to itself if you look at it wrong.

 

[PintoPlain]

I thought I was maintaining mine just with diamond balsa. Perhaps I'm still using the original edge, albeit having been stropped on roo before shaving.

 

[Eastcoast30]

It's just a habit I have with vendors. I purchased two vintage razors that were honed shave ready with two layers of Scotch 33+. Regardless of what you may do to make the razor your own, this is good info to obtain when you buy. If I receive a shave ready razor that delivers a fantastic shave, and it is time to touch up, I will replicate the tape that was initially used. I keep a record of the tape used, so I won't forget months later when I want to touch up.

 

[Gamma]

The spec sheet for my tape says 7 mil, without liner. But there is no liner and the caliper says it's 7 mil. The Scarpa should spec out around 5 mil.

Pretty sure that the Scapa is a quality PVC tape - which is what I prefer.

PTFE stuff, poly, polyimide, etc tend to embed into the stone, PVC wears better leaves nothing behind unless I really grind into a 400x too hard.

I like to stick to 1 layer of 1 type of tape so there's nothing special to remember for different razors.
I have a razor coming that was honed on 2 layers of Super 88...I see myself undoing that at some point in the future. Depending on geometry, I may just drop to 1 layer. Will probably take all of 10 minutes. Resetting a well set bevel is usually easy enough to do.

 

[Legion]

I thought I was maintaining mine just with diamond balsa. Perhaps I'm still using the original edge, albeit having been stropped on roo before shaving.

Balsa probably has enough compression to overcome the thickness of a single layer of tape.

 

[Eastcoast30]

Balsa probably has enough compression to overcome the thickness of a single layer of tape.

Pasted balsa is typically done with very light pressure, which may not overcome the thickness of tape.

 

[Eastcoast30]

The spec sheet for my tape says 7 mil, without liner. But there is no liner and the caliper says it's 7 mil. The Scarpa should spec out around 5 mil.

Pretty sure that the Scapa is a quality PVC tape - which is what I prefer.

PTFE stuff, poly, polyimide, etc tend to embed into the stone, PVC wears better leaves nothing behind unless I really grind into a 400x too hard.

I like to stick to 1 layer of 1 type of tape so there's nothing special to remember for different razors.
I have a razor coming that was honed on 2 layers of Super 88...I see myself undoing that at some point in the future. Depending on geometry, I may just drop to 1 layer. Will probably take all of 10 minutes. Resetting a well set bevel is usually easy enough to do.

I find that Scotch 33 and similar tapes measure at 7 mil as stated. But the polyimide tapes measure differently. A 1mil polyimide tape typically measures 2.5 mil. That is because the stated thickness does not include the 1.5 mil layer of adhesive.

Also, I am very skeptical of razors honed with two layers of tape (in the neighborhood of 7 mill). I have seen such razors that have been honed into the belly (horizontal stabilizer) of the blade and the only way to get an edge is to use double tape. I had to return an Iwasaki, as it was honed all the way into the stabilizer and could no longer be considered a hollow grind.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Yea, balsa deforms quite a bit and Diamonds are very aggressive after 25 or so laps, it is not the off the stone or film edge or bevel.

Do a simple non-destructive test, Ink the bevel and do a single lap to see where the ink comes off. It may also tell you something about your balsa stropping technique.

 

[Gamma]

The Scapa is a vinyl tape though, not polyimide.

In theory, it should be close to 'as advertised', and if not then not. The concern is that a bevel honed on 5 mil tape is easy enough to correct when using 7 mil tape. New guys looking in might think they need to use the exact tape all the time, it's really not necessary.

My 3M kapton is spec'd at 2.5mil and measures the same. Been buying it for decades but not for honing, and for my applications the thickness isn't important to me. But, I have honed with it and I remember checking the specs afterwards....IIRC it is the typical 3M thing where they say 'without liner' but there is no liner on that roll. Typically, I only use it for electronics work. But I can imagine that there is tape spec'd differently. Which is why I always put the caliper on the blade after taping to measure bevel angle. Often, the specs are average, not absolute, and subject to change without notice.

I don't buy over-honed blades, I can spot them a mile away. The double tape layer razor in question hasn't been honed out, the previous owner just likes wider bevels.. Literally nothing to be skeptical about in this case, the blade is pristine. It's just going to be annoying for a minute or two.

 

[Loner16]

When I bought my Rigas, Sergej sent a roll of his tape with the first one. I never used it, I continue to use my 3M with no issues. And the newer 3M seems tougher than the older stuff.

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

I have been a proud owner of a Rigarazor for a long time, probably four years. I did hone it once on my stones, without tape and since then I have been using the pasted balsa strops to maintain it. No issues, it's a great razor, just commands focus as it feels like it would happily remove an ear or a nose if you don't pay attention.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Just looked them all up.

Scapa 2702, Scotch Super 33+ and Scotch Super 88 are all made of PVC. Thicknesses are 0.13, 0.178 and 0.216 mm respectively, so the 2702 and Super 33+ are pretty close.

2702 - PVC Premium Electrical Adhesive Tape - 0.13mm

Scapa 2702 is a 0.13mm premium quality, electrical self-extinguishing soft PVC tape that uses an aggressive pressure sensitive rubber-based adhesive system. It has been designed for use where a recognised specification or international standard is required and where environmental safety is a...

www.scapaindustrial.com

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b00034650/

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b00034567/