Understand the Strop
A strop is used after the finest sharpening stone to add the last part of edge refinement. The stop adds a polish to the edge and removes any traces of a burr. A strop is typically made from leather but other materials can be used. If leather or a flexible strop material is used it's normally bonded to a piece of wood.
Simple enough, right? While I don't like taking a swipe at others, this blog post inevitably does that. I caught a video presentation the other day about how we should challenge the old sharpening "myth" of the strop. I never knew it was a myth! But that's good click bait for you, and fell for it, hook, line and sinker. I wouldn't take issue with someone testing how effective a strop is, heck, examine whatever aspect of woodworking you like. But first you have to fully understand what it is you asking before you try and try and start your Myth Busters routine.
I've covered what a strop is within the first paragraph, let's now say what a strop isn't. It's not a sharpening stone and it's not a miracle worker. You can't, and I can't stress this enough, you can't revive a failed edge with a strop. A strop is never and was never used for this purpose. This is what the video I watched completely failed to understand. If the presentation was "Strops aren't miracle workers" and the content showed a blunt edge needing to return to the stones that would have been great.
Do you even need a strop? Absolutely not! If you are using an 8000grit stone or finer for your tools you can forgo stopping if you want. The work won't care and the average home woodworker won't be able to tell the difference.
If you do choose to employ a strop make sure it's finer than the last stone you use. For instance, if you use Tormek paste it's more coarse than an 8000grit stone so you'll just dull your edge! Bare leather, jewellers rouge, these are options for you to consider. Also, avoid thick floppy strops. Some people choose to use a flat piece of wood. It's not a tratdional option but it's one I've used with success.
I hope you feel better informed about what a strop is and how they are used and hopefully you can avoid the pseudo science and click bait.