Quote Originally Posted by jcd View Post
Every video I've seen, including the two in wiki, show at least some presure being applied. The strop is curving a little under the blade.

When I pull my strop tight and apply little pressure, the strop doesn't curve at all. I have to applly a little pressure or slack the strop a little to get some slight curving. I don't have enough experience to judge the effects of my stropping though.
If it doesn't curve at all then it is defying the laws of physics. Mathematically speaking, applying a lateral force to a straight strop gives infinite "leverage" to the force. It is only after the strop is bent to form a "V" shape that its tension is converted to a force that can resist further deflection.

I'm sure the camera angle makes all the difference to how it looks in the videos.