[icedog]

Originally Posted by aragornelessar86

isn't a microbevel essentially what stropping creates over time? As the bevel becomes rounded by the strop, the angle of the actual edge becomes greater. That's basically what you're doing with a microbevel.

Or am I totally off-track?

Yes, you are totally off track. Stropping does not remove steel.

[bassguy]

wait wait wait, i thought the general consensus was that stropping does remove metal, albeit at a snails pace? I can't find the link but the post about the article with microscopic photos showing slightly reshaped edges and removed debris?

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by bassguy

wait wait wait, i thought the general consensus was that stropping does remove metal, albeit at a snails pace? I can't find the link but the post about the article with microscopic photos showing slightly reshaped edges and removed debris?

The amount of metal that stropping removes is not significant in contrast to the cutting power of the Shapton. If you were stropping with pastes you could relate the two more IMHO.
Mike

[JimmyHAD]

It wouldn't hurt to this thread, "Interesting Article" another look to add to the conversation.

[Lesslemming]

just to through in some pieces: The interesting article seems quite ... "old".
Verhoeven could not see any effect of plain leather on steel edges at 2.000x magnification done with SEM, at all!

It however is interesting that it is obviously possible to maintain a shaving edge with plain leather much much longer,
than without. So there must be an effect to some degree.

Pasted leather will (pretty fast) create a rounded appleseed bevel.
That´s like a multi-bevel. If done correctly, there is nothing wrong with it.

My theory what plain leather does is rather bend the steel, than abrade it.
Verhoeven showed that the highest possible polishing action is not only an abration
but a plastic flow of steel, not because it melts, but because of the same reason you can bend aluminium foil, but not a bar of 20mm Al