For a long time now I have been looking at edges after coming off the hones sometimes with a final pasting and sometimes just the hones. I have kept the microscope at 40X and I continue to see the same phenomena. Quite a few of the razors under the microscope look like they have a foiling which has taken place. There are little shiny sparkelies all along the edge. I cannot feel or see any burr so to speak, but these things show up a lot. If I take the razor before stropping and try to shave with it, it will cut the whisker but is really uncomfortable.

Once I strop on leather and then look at the razor under the scope the sparklies are gone and I get a very clean crisp looking edge. Lately, I have been stropping on the poly-webbing first and then the leather so that all those little fragments don't gunk up my strops. The shave after stropping is then always nice and comfortable unless I missed something and have to do a little further honing.

So what do you guys think is going on? Anyone experiencing the same thing?

This should be a fun discussion.