Quote Originally Posted by gssixgun View Post
Honestly any time somebody says "Wire Edge" and Straight Razor Strop in the same sentence you lose my attention..

I cannot even imagine a wire edge on a razor, besides maybe at the 1k or less level, on a SERIOUS restoration, let alone "Knocking one off" with a strop..
I don't know if I did that but I agree that the only way to generate a really serious one is at lower grit and *pulling* the edge, like someone would do with a tool. A perceived one would instead be scratches left by coarse abrasive. Maybe there is some tiny disorganized semblance of one left before fine stones. After that, It's my guess that stropping wears just a tiny bit off the edge and removes the effect of the abrasive grooves that go to the edge. Maybe that's not right, or maybe it's common knowledge, I don't know, but experience tells me it improves the edge off of every single abrasive that I have (some more than others, and on some steels more than others, but always some improvement), so there's no reason to even define exactly what's going on. Worrying about it could get in the way of enjoying shaving.

I also think the term overhoning is something that should be split between stones that are coarse enough to actually do it, and stones and powders that are not. If a stone is capable of "overhoning" then for a practical daily use finisher, I don't want it.

There used to be talk of edges in woodworking being too fragile because they're too sharp. At least that much has been put to bed. I'm assuming that the discussion of the "utra fine" edges that are not durable has more to do with no edge at that level of sharpness being able to ignore abrasive skin and hairs, and that the same "weak" edge razor on every day of use is still sharper than one that started with an edge that was less sharp and perceived to be stronger.

Alex gilmore put an interesting video of a razor being palm stropped several hundred times. What it did to the edge was interesting, and not exactly what I expected to see. I don't see that up on youtube any longer, though.