Thanks for your reply. Water is required for rust. Using the strop to dry the edge is a good idea. oiling to preserve a pristine finish-that's cool.

Arguments that straps inhibit oxidation are accepted.

They work so well we never see it.

Maybe our best glimpse would be to take up an idle razor. We might consider how long it sat, and where. (Give that stuff a chance to grow...

the steel matters in all this as well.

I should have every expectation that if a single razor is shaving well today it should again tomorrow. If the next use is 1 year from now; i don't know how it'd do...

Eventually something does happen and we need to abrade the edge again.

Where does the edge go when it dies? Eaten alive by O or is it only broken and fatigued from whisker skirmishing, or was it rubbed out by the same actions that gave it birth? (strop