Quote Originally Posted by Gianni_Capp
To all,



According to family back in the old country, olive oil will begin to oxidize once it is unsealed. What affect will the oxidized oil have on the leather strop? Finally, what is gained by increasing the leather’s “draw”? If you are not adding a grit paste to the stop, is there truly a benefit other than the ease in the stroke on the strop?



Regards,

GC



P.S. Forgive me if this is a question of ignorance. I am still a newbie and hence have not progressed much passed the basics. Does anyone think our granddads put this much thought in to a razor’s edge? I remember my granddad’s elation when the BIC was discovered. We hurried home from the drugstore so he could shave. He walked out of the bathroom proclaiming how nice. “Pretty close too”! He added.

I daresay they did put that much thought into a razor's edge. The difference is, it was a common thing then, so they probably didn't feel the need to talk about it quite so much. As far as the draw on a strop, as a general rule, the greater draw you have, it's an indication that the leather is catching and aligning the edge. Obviously, it's different for different types of leather (as outlined above), but it gives you a "feel" for what the leather, and the blade, are doing.