Gentlemen, for your consideration:

A hypothetical secondary effect of stropping.

The conventional wisdom regarding stropping is that it aligns and straightens microserrations along the razor痴 edge.

It has been observed that with several cycles of shaving and stropping, the edge improves after honing before reaching a point where the keenness of the edge declines thus requiring honing or pasting.

Since plain stropping does not seem to be removing metal only moving it, the question is raised regarding work hardening of the metal.

Work hardening is a well known and readily observable phenomenon. When metal is manipulated, that is bent or hammered, it becomes harder. This can easily be demonstrated by bending a paper clip back and forth. The clip quickly loses its ductility (if ductility is the word I want) until brittleness overtakes it and it snaps.

Or, one could repeatedly strike a copper penny and observe that more deformation occurs with the initial blows and that further shaping becomes difficult as the copper becomes harder.

So:

Does stropping harden the edge of the razor? Does this explain the bell curve of shaving comfort? Does the edge become harder to the point that it starts becomes too brittle thus requiring honing to expose fresh steel?

Does a slack strop strop bend the edge more causing a greater hardening?

I値l leave it to better minds to ponder. I知 just an idea man.

Happy trails,
LG Roy