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I use the Lansky System to sharpen my pocket and hunting knives. I get an edge that will shave arm hair, especially my Gerber knife. If I put the knife away for a few days, it will not be as sharp.
Steel begins to oxidize immediately after it's sharpened, microscopic, but there, none the less.
I think by stropping we are removing that layer of oxidation that has formed on the edge since it was last used.
Tom
you could be up to something there.
I'm not sure about the reason, but steel is certainly working all the time. Sometimes I have the feeling the edge deteriorates a tiny bit with time. Like I need to restrop after a few days.
Time for an experiment I guess...
Redwoood
No experiment needed.
The main thing that stropping does is to dress up the edge of the razor which means clean off any accumulated dust, dirt, gunk and very minor rust or oxidation that's present. It also does some very minor polishing and aligning of the cutting surface or micro teeth.
As they say its as easy as ABC
Thats why we strop just before each shave!:)
Then why do we sometimes strop between passes? It can clearly help the razor cut for the susequent pass, but I doubt there's been a chance for noticeable oxidation to occcur.
X
Alignment ......
Don't forget the plain joy and fun of stropping :)
No experiment needed? Hell yeah! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
Strop your razor to HHT sharpness. Put it in a sealed place, bag or so, wait a few days. Try HHT. Rinse repeat.
If the edge starts to deteriorate, it cannot be dust or dirt or gunk, but must indeed be oxidation. Or maybe it's something else. Next experiment would be to store it in a vacuum...
Redwoood