Hi Joe,

20 to 25 strokes on the leather strop before each shave. I recommend little strokes when shaving. I also recommend only tackling one part of the face at a time until you get used to using the razor. Minimal to virtually no pressure. You should not have to rehone or refresh on pastes for 2-3 months unless your stropping at first dulls the razor. This sometimes happens with new folks. On the strop with paste, you are correct in that the motion is a stropping motion. I normally would only recommend 10 strokes on the .5 side and 10 on the .25 side if using diamond pastes.

Keep us posted and good luck.

Lynn