Thread: Does stropping keep the razor sharp?

Does normal, plain leather stropping keep the edge sharp? And if so, is it safe to say the strop sharpens the razor?

I was under the impression that stropping was to align and straighten the edge and any sharpening it did would be insignificant (too minor to be noticeable).

Then again my post could accurately reflects my experience so don't put too much weight on my words.

Stropping will keep an already sharpened razor sharp, I do not feel that it will actually "sharpen" a razor that is not already sharp.



However, if you strap your razor instead of stropping it you can turn a butter knife into a top shelf shaver in no time.

I am assuming that by normal you mean less than 100 laps....
Because in theory on a molecular level I guess it is actually an abrasive and after 1 million laps or so I guess it could sharpen a razor

Let me know how that test goes, meet ya here in 20 years

AFDavis, Alan found an article some time ago that IIRC confirmed that there is sharpening going on in addition to the realigning. So I voted yes to sharpening.

Chris L

Well, this is my twisted reasoning:

When I shave without stropping beforehand, the razor feels dull. To me, that means it's not as sharp as it ought to be. You might say that means it's just misaligned or something, but to me that is the same as dull.

When I strop that dull feeling razor, then it feels sharp again.

That's why I am asking if stropping sharpens the blade

thanks everyone for your input, I am just curious what the opinions are. maybe I am splitting hairs again. maybe strapping is the word I am looking for, as Seraphim suggests

It seems inevitable that there is some amount of sharpening going on when you strop, however it is not enough to completely undo the dulling effect of shaving. Hence the need to touch up a razor once in a while.

A problem with semantics looms....sharpening..aligning...polishing...

Anything that creates friction will have somewhat of a sharpening effect if you do enough of it. But practically speaking no it does not sharpen the razor, just dress the edge. I'm still waiting for someone to sharpen the blade under running water. After a few thousand years it should do a good job. Any takers?

I think the strop does more to clean and polish than to sharpen. It gets rid of slight oxidation that may form on the blade and maybe dust. It does to a small degree repair damage the act of shaving does to the edge and delays the honing somewhat. If it sharpened you wouldn't have to rehone.

bj