It also takes off dirt particles and bits of metal. I don't hone nearly as much as Gssixgun up there, but the spot where I strop the most on my linen has at times looked just as dark as what I'm assuming is his rather well trafficked strop up there. I'm still patiently waiting for my current strop to take on that much metal particulate so I can play with it and see if it has the abrasive quality hinted at in I want to say Iwasaki's text if memory serves well. Maybe I need to start honing more often just to speed up the process...