I don't think you can over polish an edge by stropping. Probably after 40-60 passes you accomplish nothing further. Of course if you do hundreds of strokes and start applying more pressure thats a different story. As far as stropping before shaving I agree with that. The idea is to have a fresh edge to shave with. On the microscopic level the second you stop the stropping rust begins to develop. You may not see it but it is there and the longer you wait the more accumulates. Unless of course you place the razor in a vacumn. Then you don't have to worry about rust.