快猫短视频

As a boy I watched my grandfather sharpen his cut-throat razor on a leather strap. How did this work?

鈥� Stropping a blade on a leather strap (or strop), as described, is supposed to smooth out indentations without removing any metal.

In contrast, sharpening a blade on a whetstone removes any metal bent out of alignment.

The leather is usually impregnated with an abrasive compound like jeweller鈥檚 rouge or green chromium (III) oxide. To avoid cutting or nicking the strop while achieving a sharp edge, the correct technique is required: the razor has to be drawn spine first along the leather.

Mike Follows, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淟eather and steel鈥�