Thread: Beginner questions on strops

The cloth strop is rougher than leather and has a heavier effect which really means it's a very, very mild abrasive so it doesn't really sharpen the edge (though some would say it does if done enough) but has a greater effect than plain leather. So just consider stropping a two stage deal, cloth first and then leather. As far as what it physically does to the edge, we've discussed this forever and I don't know we've ever come to a real conclusion on it.

Draw is just a quality some leather has. You can enhance it and produce it if the strop doesn't naturally have it but personally it's just a quality you either like or don't. The only exception to me is after honing I find if I use a strop that exhibits draw the sharper the edge the greater the amount of draw there is. In such case I know if there is little draw the razor is not shave ready however if there is plenty of draw it doesn't mean it is shave ready.