Just afew thoughts here guys- I've always accepted the fact that stropping dressed the edge and never really questioned just what dressing really means or if you could overdress.

Back when I did the Grand experiment the final conclusion was that 60x gave the best edge. Doing more did nothing further. It didn't make the edge better and it didn't make it worse.

As far as slapping the razor on the strop goes (and I remember when barbers did that) I wonder if the pressure they exerted during the slap was really any more than we use but it was like going into a japanese restaurant and they cook at your table and thats part of the show. I wonder if that wasn't part of the barbers show and he was so good at it that the edge of the razor never touched the leather during the slap. Its all in the wrist and things aren't always what they appear to be eh?