Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
There was a thread a while ago now that posed the hypothesis that an X stroke on the strop matches more closely the angle of the striations left after honing.

When I think about how I hone, I definitely put an angle on the scratches - maybe in the area of 45 degrees but cannot say for sure.

I'm not sure the thread ever got to the bottom of the issue (I seem to recall that I thought the x pattern angle on the strop would be the exact opposite of the scratch pattern angle unless you stropped with the heel behind the toe), but that could be another "reason" why x pattern stropping seems more efficient.

However, when starting out just concentrate on keep the blade flat, using light pressure, and perfecting that flip. If the x pattern is part of your natural stroke (and it is for a lot of us) then go with it. But don't force it until you feel comfortable with the basic movement.

James.
Big thanks on this one. I saw Lynn today explaining how he converted to a 3 inch strop. He mentioned not having to worry so much on the X stroke. Honestly the X stroke was giving me a bit of anxiety, but now that I'm just starting to practice my flip and motion this really helps not having to worry about the X stroke. Im glad I bumped into this fourm