Thread: Linen "Leveling Effect"

Here's an idea I had: maybe you guys can tell me what you think of this. I've found that edges @ the refinement level of say a coticule or a Norton 8k (shave ready, but maybe not 'scary sharp') benefit in both smoothness & sharpness from a good linen stropping. Jnat edges, less so & even there I can have too much of a good thing if I overdo it. CBN edges are degraded slightly--the edge is still plenty sharp & lasts just the same as if I had finished at that level to begin with (no crumbling or anything), but not quite what it was. It's gone from lightsaber to simply "very good", where a coticule or Norton edge can be brought up to very good by good stropping.

I'm definitely more conservative w/ linen stropping these days, typically only doing 10-15 light strokes right before leather (before a shave only). I'm thinking maybe the guys who wrote those old barber books might have discovered something similar. Maybe that's why they recommended no linen right after honing...? We've got to keep in mind, a lot of the old knowledge has been lost, so we're essentially relearning a lot of this stuff as we go along. I'm sure a lot of what we still struggle to figure out was common knowledge in the old days of proper razors & this might be one of those cases.

Whaddaya say, gentlemen? Anyone seen something similar? And to be clear, this is unpasted, clean linen. I have no idea how chalk or wood ash or something might influence the results, but it does make me curious to try...