Quote Originally Posted by AFDavis11
Oh come on guys....admit it! We do it because its cooler. You can lay it flat if you want, probably better if your starting out anyway.
Well, I will admit that it's way cooler to have a hanger. I modified an old Dovo Russian leather strop with a piece of balsa wood glued to the back of the leather and have enjoyed the best of both worlds. I know Tony is working on a similar hybrid.

I'm not sure about a new micro-bevel being formed by the bow in a hanging strop. I do think that there is an element of bounce to the leather itself. This might do some of the work when it rebounds from the pressure of the spine in any supple piece of leather. I'm pretty sure that it's near impossible to keep from rounding and edge with an unstable stropping surface. But then again, hanging leather has been around for a long time.