That makes sense, especially considering that it looks like virtually everybody around here does it more or less the same way. (Including me)

The only reason I ask is that I keep seeing all these little references to stropping as being an occasional thing, or always using an abrasive, and I can't help but wonder where that comes from.

If you've got printed instructions from the 1800, it's certainly not an "old school" thing, and obviously these days we're all doing it the same way, but it seems like at some point, stropping was treated differently. I'd love to know where all these alternative views on stropping came from.