Thread: Draw on a strop notting to do with performance?

Well, the smooth leather strops aren't supposed to sharpen.
That is the thought of many of us anyways
What it does do is straighten out the edge after the steel has been bent and dented during shaving.

I have strops in about all leathers out there, some with a heavy draw, others slick as all that.
I find them all to work, and work well.
My personal preference is the slicker varieties, others prefer more draw.

If you want more draw, hand strop it vigorously and often, and it will give more draw.
Or use some neetsfoot oil, that will also give more draw.
Use only a tiny bit though, it really doesn't take much.

As Birnando said, stropping doesn't sharpen, exactly; we are burnishing the edge. Metal is removed because as the tiny little "teeth" - more like tabs really - that are bent by the act of shaving are straightened some of them break off. It is not removed by friction as one might think intuitively.

Consider also that when a cordovan shell strop eventually begins to lose its surface finish.. we apply hard carnauba wax to restore it and polish the bejabbers out of it. It's quite a slick surface yet many feel that we get our best edges from shell strops. Truth be told, I doubt that there is any measurable difference in the edge produced by light or heavy draw strops, it's really a matter of personal preference.


rs,
Tack