layer of tape

[garyhaywood]

as i have been using my dovo for constant rehones ..I decided to tape the spine to save the bevel growing or prevent to much hone wear as its a nice razor.

I rehoned last night on one layer of tape. using dilucot method and dulling the edge on glass cup.

i performed the usaul method . HHT of the hone was like the razor had been already stropped. even fine hairs were poping like mad. i never get this result of the hone .

i'm thinking its because i added one layer of tape. may be after several honings in this way the bevel will grow a little and the results may not be the same.

any one else tryed this and if so did you find similar results. i don't like using tape only to spear the razor in bevel setting .Tim zowda actauly says one layer of tape gives the correct cutting angle and he uses this method?

 

[Stewart]

Funny you posted this Gary. I did exactly the same thing just two nights ago. I have never gotten a better edge off my DOVO than this one. Don't get me wrong , it has been a wonderful razor but like you after taping for exactly the same reason the edge I got is fantastic! It now shaves as well as my set of JA. Henckles. It was always just a bit on the crisp side no matter what hone I used and now seems a bit milder but now it seems that I could shave right off the hone. A really cool discovery Gary , I am really glad you posted this result as I tend to doubt myself when these quirky things pop up by accident.
Tally Ho !
Stew

 

[garyhaywood]

the dovo i have been using is a dovo astral and mine tends to be a little crispy al though still gives a nice shave fairly smooth actaualy. i will test mine to morrow morning and let you no how it differs.

I reckon the steeper angle although its only slight reaches keeness much easier as there is less metal to remove. its similar to barts double bevl (unicot) although not the same as its one bevel but the angle is the same.

i'd like to hear barts opinion.i'm sure he will explain much better.

 

[yohannrjm]

I sometimes tape my razors for honing (when they're near NOS, for example). I've noticed essentially the same thing - it seems to be easier to get them really sharp.

When I use Unicot, the final polishing is always with tape. When using dilucot too, I'll sometimes tape the spine for the last few steps.

Another possible advantage of taping is the lower possibility of microchipping (because of the shorter, and thicker final bevel). This is less of a problem for coticules, and is not problem for someone like you, Gary, but it may be beneficial for less experienced honers.

If I sell or trade a razor, I always rehone without tape --- just for consistency.

 

[garyhaywood]

Funny you posted this Gary. I did exactly the same thing just two nights ago. I have never gotten a better edge off my DOVO than this one. Don't get me wrong , it has been a wonderful razor but like you after taping for exactly the same reason the edge I got is fantastic! It now shaves as well as my set of JA. Henckles. It was always just a bit on the crisp side no matter what hone I used and now seems a bit milder but now it seems that I could shave right off the hone. A really cool discovery Gary , I am really glad you posted this result as I tend to doubt myself when these quirky things pop up by accident.
Tally Ho !
Stew

the dovo shaved very smooth i am more than happy with edge of the hone and one layer of tape helped. any one new at dilucot should try it it may make things a little easier.

 

[Bart]

We have talked about this before. http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/message/85.html

I'm still on that same page. The only reason I can think of why a taped approach could deliver better results, is the same as the Unicot advantage. If the razor had an "untaped" bevel angle, changing it to a "taped" angle, will cause it to lean over on the very edge. Instead of having to work till the bevel extends all the way to the very edge, before the razor can gain keenness, you now start at the very edge from the very beginning. In other words: the edge will respond immediately. It is clear that the advantage only lasts till the taped bevel is fully formed. That would normally be after one honing job, but if you take it slow, it can take 2 or 3 honing job, till the taped angle has completely replaced the untaped bevel.
If you ever change the plan in the other direction, from taped to untaped, it's payback time. Instead of responding immediately, the edge now won't respond at all till the new "untaped" angle is completely present.

That's one reason why adding tape can offer an advantage.

Another reason is on razors with a worn spine. Many razors have a softer spine than the rest of the blade. I don't know why that happens, but it is confirmed by Rockwell testing of real razors. On top of that, a razor has more mass in the spine than in the edge. And the tang itself is directly attached to the spine (and not directly to the edge). All these factors can cause the spine to wear more than the edge. In the long run, it can make a clear difference for the bevel angle of the razor. If the steel of such a razor has any tendency for brittleness, that condition will seriously augment the chance on microscopic chipping.
In such cases, beefing up the spine with a layer of tape, even if it's only one layer, can make all the difference.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[BlueDun]

We have talked about this before. http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/message/85.html


Another reason is on razors with a worn spine. Many razors have a softer spine than the rest of the blade. I don't know why that happens, but it is confirmed by Rockwell testing of real razors.

Kind regards,
Bart.

That's actually quite easy to explain. When quenching the blade for hardening the final hardness is very much determined by the temperature gradient, i.e. the change of temperature over time. The faster the steel cools down, the harder it will eventually be. The ground parts of the balde are very thin and there is not much material left that will hold the temperature. Not so on the spine. More material holds more heat energy that takes longer to dissipate completely into the quenching agent.
Bottom line: The edge will cool faster than the spine and therefore yield a higher hardness.

A secondary effect may have to do with forming. The more steel is formed during forging, the finer the cristalline structure will become. Finer grained steel tends to harden to higher values as the (chemically) identical coarse grain low-formed steel.
Depending on the forging of the razor it may well be that the edge part was formed to a higher degree than the spine part.

Cheers
BlueDun

 

[Bart]

Thank you,
That makes a lot of sense to me.

Kind regards,
Bart.