Thread: Shapton GS 16k as a finish

If we follow that logic, you could say “stropping is not necessary just after honing the razor”… how can a strop improve a 30K edge?

However after the first (or any) shave the edge of every razor is deformed with fold-overs and chips… this is where the strop will better the hone any day.
The strop gently straightens those fold-overs and will polish the insides of chips restoring the edge as good as before.
The hone on the other hand can only remove material to get back a shaving edge.

Stropping will prolong the life of the razor.

Originally Posted by smythe

If we follow that logic, you could say “stropping is not necessary just after honing the razor”… how can a strop improve a 30K edge?

However after the first (or any) shave the edge of every razor is deformed with fold-overs and chips… this is where the strop will better the hone any day.
The strop gently straightens those fold-overs and will polish the insides of chips restoring the edge as good as before.
The hone on the other hand can only remove material to get back a shaving edge.

Stropping will prolong the life of the razor.

I'm not looking to start a debate, I was simply musing on the fact that a couple of touch up passes on 30K stone - natural or synthetic - could arguably be used in place of stropping. IMHO, the moment you use diamond pastes on a strop, even .25 micron as finite an amount as it may be, is still removing metal.

I just though it was funny how FloorPizza advocated the strop at the very moment in time when I was questioning its usefulness!

Originally Posted by jendeindustries

I'm not looking to start a debate, I was simply musing on the fact that a couple of touch up passes on 30K stone - natural or synthetic - could arguably be used in place of stropping. IMHO, the moment you use diamond pastes on a strop, even .25 micron as finite an amount as it may be, is still removing metal.

I just though it was funny how FloorPizza advocated the strop at the very moment in time when I was questioning its usefulness!

Ahhh! No debate my friend; Modern abrasives have come a hell-of-a-long way… maybe surpassing many of the best hones of yesteryear (believe me, I say that with trepidation) And I would probably agree stropping may not be necessary after a 30K (again with trepidation).

But I pinch myself when I remember how a razor’s edge looks after the shave.

I forgot where it is, but there was a post with a link to an old magazine article of a study on a razor edge after the shave and then after a stropping, there are a few microscope photos as well…. very interesting reading. I will post the link again if I find it.