Guys:

This is the second time I've tried to post this question; I apologize if it appears twice.

It may have already been addressed but I'd like to get an explicit understanding.

Concerning the proper orientation of the blade on the hone/strop:

I assume the handle is to the right of the hone and the stroke begins at the left end with most of the blade at the left side of the hone. This will mean the stroke will proceed diagonally from left to right with the heel ending up at the far right (perhaps even off the hone) at t'other end.

1) When you strop a blade honed in this manner do you reverse the X? That is do you begin with most of the blade at the right side of the strop and pushing diagonally end up with the blade mostly at the left side of the strop? Again assuming you are holding the razor in your right hand and beginning the stroke on the strop closest to where you are holding it (the strop).

If there is a "grain" created by honing in the above manner then this method of stropping would go "with the grain".

Or do you strop "against the grain" meaning that you start at the left side of the strop and push diagonally towards the tethered end? Or does it not matter at all?

2) If there is some kind of "grain" imparted by honing in the above manner does it matter which way it is oriented? The way I outlined above or starting with the blade mostly on the right side of the hone and pushing diagonally to end with most of the blade on the left (perhaps the head of the blade is now off the hone)?

3) Can you get the same results from angling the blade on the hone at the begining of the stroke so that the edge is not perpindicular to the sides of the hone but has the head further along the hone than the heel? And then pushing/pulling strictly parallel to the sides of the hone?

It seems to me that this would be preferable in that the entire blade is always in contact with the surface of the hone whereas with the method I outlined at the beginning (so long ago - thanks for reading this far ) either the head or the heel (or even both) gets short shrift.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Best regards,
Bob