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3" strop - Yes, back and forth. Keep it taut. I have a handful of very nice and sharp straights that spend time on it and will continue to keep spending time on it.

Everytime I use it, I always...

I have a 3" strop and I just go back and forth the blade is always evenly sharp. I also have a 4 sided pasted strop and I use the X pattern on that one and I don't mind it since the passes are few...