what is a strop

A strop is a flexible strip of leather, canvas, denim fabric, balsa wood, or other soft material used to straighten and polish the blade of a straight razor, a knife, or a woodworking tool such as a chisel. It is used to sharpen and polish edges by using the abrasive properties of the leather or a polishing compound to remove small amounts of metal from the edge of the blade, creating a sharper edge. Stropping can also realign a blade edge, which is especially useful for straight razors, as the edge of a straight razor is very thin and susceptible to being bent out of shape. Strops can be especially useful for wood carvers, as they will conform around the bevel and allow wood carvers to sharpen a larger area of their tool bevels with each pass. Strops are often used after a blade has been sharpened on a grinding wheel or stone to remove burrs and give it a polished finish. They are also commonly used to maintain the edge on blades that are used frequently, such as kitchen knives or straight razors.