Hmmmmm
I have one frameback and it's given me a lot of trouble trying to get an edge I'm happy with. I it honed without tape... Maybe I'll tape it and try again.
Tape or not (no, not the same old question)
- Thread starter gpjoe
- Start date
I have one frameback and it's given me a lot of trouble trying to get an edge I'm happy with. I it honed without tape... Maybe I'll tape it and try again.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Let us know how it turns out.
I have a taping question, so I will revive this fairly recent thread.
When honing, I quickly rub a hole through the tape, so I need to replace it. In essence, I am curious as to what your experiences are in this regard, and how you people handle this problem ..?
Context: I have been shaving with straight razors for a few years before, and feel I achieved OK skills shaving, then began honing, and I just did not have much success with honing..! So I eventually gave it up, buried my straight razors and hones deep in a box on the attic, and reverted entirely back to DE shaving. Now I am moving towards another attempt at straight razor shaving, which in turn also means honing, as all my blades need honing to be worth while taking for a spin shaving (qualified straight razor honing services are just not available around here).
And so, to tape or not to tape ...:'
I have previously tried out both, and ended up deciding in favor of taping, though I can also appreciate reasons not to. In brief, I prefer to protect spines, so I tend to go with taping.
Now for my more elaborate questions:
It seems that I quickly wear a hole in the tape so that I need to replace it. Just last night, I used blue tape, and now my hone has this shade of blue all over. I imagine it cant be very good for the hone, although it is a water stone (Naniwa Professional), so I hope it will just wash off, like metal.
Ideally, I would be able to find some brand of tape that is tough enough to let me hone without having to replace the tape all the time, and make a mess of my hone. Can anyone recommend a particular brand of tough tape that is suited for the job (and ideally available in the EU ..)?
And how do you people handle this problem with "worn through" tape? Do you change up tape every five or so minutes, like I do ..?
I don't think the problem is that I press too hard on the knife. I have tried and studied many different approaches to (degrees of) pressing, and I have concluded that if I am at all to hope for a decent edge on any blade, within the time frame I have available for this, I need to apply a certain amount of pressure on the blade when honing to get anywhere. I am talking bevel-setting here, and lately I have even gone down to a 400 K stone for starters. It "only" takes me a couple of hours of bevel setting to achieve hair cutting sharpness on a glassed edge on a 400 K stone..! With a fair amount of pressure that is! And having gone through a couple of feet of tape in the process ..! So yes, it seems that I am indeed picking up from where I left this ball game last time I was in this business. But I dearly love a straight razor shave, so on it goes....
So, I am willing to put in the time, but before I clog up my hones with plastic and ruin them (never mind my blades), I'd like some idea of how you people handle this worn-through tape issue. Thanks.
When honing, I quickly rub a hole through the tape, so I need to replace it. In essence, I am curious as to what your experiences are in this regard, and how you people handle this problem ..?
Context: I have been shaving with straight razors for a few years before, and feel I achieved OK skills shaving, then began honing, and I just did not have much success with honing..! So I eventually gave it up, buried my straight razors and hones deep in a box on the attic, and reverted entirely back to DE shaving. Now I am moving towards another attempt at straight razor shaving, which in turn also means honing, as all my blades need honing to be worth while taking for a spin shaving (qualified straight razor honing services are just not available around here).
And so, to tape or not to tape ...:'
I have previously tried out both, and ended up deciding in favor of taping, though I can also appreciate reasons not to. In brief, I prefer to protect spines, so I tend to go with taping.
Now for my more elaborate questions:
It seems that I quickly wear a hole in the tape so that I need to replace it. Just last night, I used blue tape, and now my hone has this shade of blue all over. I imagine it cant be very good for the hone, although it is a water stone (Naniwa Professional), so I hope it will just wash off, like metal.
Ideally, I would be able to find some brand of tape that is tough enough to let me hone without having to replace the tape all the time, and make a mess of my hone. Can anyone recommend a particular brand of tough tape that is suited for the job (and ideally available in the EU ..)?
And how do you people handle this problem with "worn through" tape? Do you change up tape every five or so minutes, like I do ..?
I don't think the problem is that I press too hard on the knife. I have tried and studied many different approaches to (degrees of) pressing, and I have concluded that if I am at all to hope for a decent edge on any blade, within the time frame I have available for this, I need to apply a certain amount of pressure on the blade when honing to get anywhere. I am talking bevel-setting here, and lately I have even gone down to a 400 K stone for starters. It "only" takes me a couple of hours of bevel setting to achieve hair cutting sharpness on a glassed edge on a 400 K stone..! With a fair amount of pressure that is! And having gone through a couple of feet of tape in the process ..! So yes, it seems that I am indeed picking up from where I left this ball game last time I was in this business. But I dearly love a straight razor shave, so on it goes....
So, I am willing to put in the time, but before I clog up my hones with plastic and ruin them (never mind my blades), I'd like some idea of how you people handle this worn-through tape issue. Thanks.
Are you using electrical tape?
Yes, electrical tape. Different brands, but all present the same problem.
This happened when I started. Too much pressure. Focus on torque, not bearing down.
I think Andrejs from Rigarazor uses a brand called Scapa, item number 2702. If I recall it's a 5 mil electrical tape. Should be available in the EU.
But to answer your earlier question, yes, I've burned through tape but not often, unless I'm honing out a chip. I usually put on a new piece after 1k though, just to be sure.
This sounds right, but how do you do that -- torque ..?
The beauty of this skill-set is that it tends to be "in the hands" and "beyond words", but if you could kindly try to put some words on "torque" nonetheless, I would appreciate it ...
The pressure on the razor is rolling forward to, gently, point the bevel into the stone. It's essentially the same as shaving, you want the edge working, not the spine.
Excellent, thanks.!!
Yup, I find Scapa tape in the EU. Rigarazors, I didn't know that name, looks very interesting .... and in the EU too. Thank you very much for these tips!
I use 8.5 mil 3M Scotch Super 88 tape and 1 mil Tapes Master brand Kapton tape, the choice of tape depending on the bevel angle of the razor:
tapesmaster.com
1 mil equals 0.001 inch. There are other brands of 1 mil Kapton tape - like YTFGGY.
When setting the bevel on an old Sheffield near wedge, I normally use 1 layer of Super 88 and may go through about 5 changes of tape for just the bevel setter. By the time I get to the finishing stone, usually just 1 piece.
Because the 1 mil Kapton tape is thinner, I may need to change the tape about the same number of times on a modern full hollow razor as using Super 88 on an old Sheffield near wedge.
My advice is to change the tape as soon as you see visible damage to the tape. In other words, just suck it up, change the tape and don't sweat it.
BTW, Kapton is a trademark of DuPont. No idea where the name comes from, though.
1 Mil Kapton Polyimide Tape
Polyimide Tape from Tapes Master is a high-quality, high-temperature resistant tape that is ideal for a variety of applications. It is made of 1 mil thick polyimide film with a silicone adhesive, making it heat resistant, flame retardant, and weatherproof. It is also ideal for electrical...
1 mil equals 0.001 inch. There are other brands of 1 mil Kapton tape - like YTFGGY.
When setting the bevel on an old Sheffield near wedge, I normally use 1 layer of Super 88 and may go through about 5 changes of tape for just the bevel setter. By the time I get to the finishing stone, usually just 1 piece.
Because the 1 mil Kapton tape is thinner, I may need to change the tape about the same number of times on a modern full hollow razor as using Super 88 on an old Sheffield near wedge.
My advice is to change the tape as soon as you see visible damage to the tape. In other words, just suck it up, change the tape and don't sweat it.
BTW, Kapton is a trademark of DuPont. No idea where the name comes from, though.
If you are new to this and still struggling to get killer edges consistently, I wouldn't add tape to the mix at this point. It adds extra hassles and variables to the honing equation. Get a nice, repeatable edge mastered, then tape as you wish.
I have never felt the need to use it.
I don't fear any wear that might occur.
I haven't honed my wedge yet.
I don't own any fancy razors that need anything protected.
I have a W/B restore that would require 3 layers of tape (23 degree angle) to keep the hone off of the logo in the middle of the blade. It's more of an RSO now. Fun to fondle but I don't need to shave with it.
It's always an option, but usually I'm a minimalist with razor sharpening.
I have never felt the need to use it.
I don't fear any wear that might occur.
I haven't honed my wedge yet.
I don't own any fancy razors that need anything protected.
I have a W/B restore that would require 3 layers of tape (23 degree angle) to keep the hone off of the logo in the middle of the blade. It's more of an RSO now. Fun to fondle but I don't need to shave with it.
It's always an option, but usually I'm a minimalist with razor sharpening.
Another idea is that the straight razors designed in the 19th century probably did not have tape at that time,
so their honing was used directly.
so their honing was used directly.
