Ive still been working through learning the cloth strops. I think I had a eureka moment the other day though. What seems to be the key, for me at least, is to keep Bob Ross in mind when he uses his one inch brush to smooth and soften paint he just applied and his catch phrase, "2 hairs and some air." It seems like they work best when you do it almost like you're pretending to strop: just barely touching it with virtually no pressure at all. Funny how you can learn something in a few minutes and spend a lifetime trying to master it.