Stropping (unpasted) Essential to Honing?

[khaos]

So I am only a hobby honer and still a newb, but it seems that a blade is consistently better after stropping on plain linen and plain leather after honing. Is this true or am I imagining?

It sounds obvious because stropping helps keep a blade shave ready, but consistently I will finish off of the jnat or thury and it will shave arm hairs great but will barely pass the HHT or "hovering arm hair test" but after stropping +/-25 on linen +/-40 on leather it passes both tests quite well. Is my technique off or is this a common thing?

[Bruce]

So I am only a hobby honer and still a newb, but it seems that a blade is consistently better after stropping on plain linen and plain leather after honing. Is this true or am I imagining?

It sounds obvious because stropping helps keep a blade shave ready, but consistently I will finish off of the jnat or thury and it will shave arm hairs great but will barely pass the HHT or "hovering arm hair test" but after stropping +/-25 on linen +/-40 on leather it passes both tests quite well. Is my technique off or is this a common thing?

I'm a daily shaver, hobby honer, and am also quite an aggressive stropper. I do about 40 linen and 40 leather laps, sometimes more, and haven't had to touch-up hone a razor for months. Even my pasted paddles are hanging there wondering if I don't like them any more.

[Jimbo]

No, it's pretty common I think. I mean, presumably that is why they invented strops in the first place, right? Otherwise we'd all be doing a quick swipe on the finishing hone before every shave.

James.

[khaos]

No, it's pretty common I think. I mean, presumably that is why they invented strops in the first place, right? Otherwise we'd all be doing a quick swipe on the finishing hone before every shave.

James.

That's what I thought but I just wanted to double check that it wasn't something lacking in my honing that was being compensated for with stropping

[Kingfish]

No matter how I finish edge, 30k, Jnat I have found I can squeeze a little more sharpness and smoothness out of plain leather. I don't think 40 laps are best for me, 10 to 20 seems about right for my blades . Take that with a grain. Just 6 months ago I thought I was good at honing, now looking back.....I am sure many members go through similar learning curve.
Mike

[JimmyHAD]

I find my edges are better after a good 50 and 50 and that is my regular routine.

[bjanzen]

......... but consistently I will finish off of the jnat or thury and it will shave arm hairs great but will barely pass the HHT or "hovering arm hair test" but after stropping +/-25 on linen +/-40 on leather it passes both tests quite well. Is my technique off or is this a common thing?

So are you saying that your blade is passing the HAHT before the Jnat but not after until you strop??? I found that to be the case tonight but I thought I just didn't know my stone. Is this normal?

Barry

[Frankenstein]

So are you saying that your blade is passing the HAHT before the Jnat but not after until you strop??? I found that to be the case tonight but I thought I just didn't know my stone. Is this normal?

Barry

I have the same result but with a coticule. I go from coticule to linen to leather and shave - if it works then on to a J-nat - at which point they pass the HAHT and back to the strop. But I've only recently started honing so I myself have more questions than answers.

[khaos]

So are you saying that your blade is passing the HAHT before the Jnat but not after until you strop??? I found that to be the case tonight but I thought I just didn't know my stone. Is this normal?

Barry

Sort of. They barely pass the HHT before the Jnat and pass it better afterwards, but its only after stropping that the blade truly shines. By pass HHT I'm talking my HHT because even on blades from honemeisters sometimes my hair doesn't get cut so I know what to expect when I do it. But for me the HHT isn't really a great indicator, but none the less I figured I'd ask because it seems after stropping the edges did better.