Thread: My imagination

Stropping my razors on a newly acquired vintage horse hide stop seems to make them sharper. At least one I regularly shave with gave me a closer shave after stropping on the horse hide strop. Could a strop make so much difference, or am I just suggestible?

Horsehide is also my favorite stropping leather, it won’t sharpen steel but has more of a burnishing effect. The real work is done on the stones imo, but good stropping adds that cherry on the cake.

i've always wondered if different types of strops/leather make a difference. I've always only had the one.

It may not sharpen it more but that doesn't mean it won't improve it to some extent, at least to the extent that any leather strop will. I have never used horsehide but I do know that my Russian boarhide is more aggressive than the cowhide strops I have.

I don't feel stropping sharpens. JMO.
Corrects and aligns the edge sure. But unless your adding a compound to your strop like diamond or Crox I don't see any way it can take metal away to sharpen by rubbing on clean leather. But hey, I was wrong once before. LOL.

Originally Posted by Gasman

...But hey, I was wrong once before. LOL.

You thought you were mistaken but you were actually right?

No. I agree that leather will not sharpen but improving is still possible by correcting and aligning more so than a different type of strop.

I agree, sort of.

Stropping shouldn't make your razor sharper but, after a coti they they go from that's nice to omg.

After a coti the edge needs a lot more time on the leather than other stones do, even the coti site says so.

The Science of Sharp article on stropping explains a lot with photos of the edge.

https://scienceofsharp.com/2014/08/1...-stropping-do/

It doesn't matter whether it is our imagination or not. If you like a horse strop, then you like it, and you are not alone. My favorite strop is a DIY I made from McMaster-Carr cowhide. My next favorite is my Kanayama horse shell. I also have a few others, and none are hacked up or dried out or warped and twisted, and IMHO they all work the same amount of magic on the razor, but some I enjoy using more than others. If I am wrong, it really doesn't matter all that much. If you are wrong, it really doesn't matter all that much. Enjoy your strop, and your shaves.

We have discussed this plenty over the years.

A plain strop "dresses" the edge. It does not sharpen it.

Many materials will do besides leather but leather is best. Different types may feel more luxurious like using differing types of shave brushes or fancier razors. They may make you feel better about using them but in the end they do the same job.

As we say in this endeavor, there are many roads to Rome but eventually they all get you there. Some faster, some slower some with better scenery than others.