Thanks Joe! I needed an excuse to use my second widest razor in my collection. I bought it over a year ago and have only shaved with it about 10x. The seller recently asked how I am doing with it because he did a great restoration on it. I felt bad that I haven't used it that much. I really want to use it with 3 days growth, but that is not always possible so that is the main reason for the lack of use.
Without seeing the razor, I can only surmise that it is not shave ready based on your comments. That's why you need to assume when you buy vintage straights from a antique store, estate sale, garage sale or flea market that these razors need work to be shae ready. You mentioned a steel stick to strop your razor. If you mean a knife hone that is not going to work and the edge will be very wonky. Also mute the point on that razor for your own good. Finally, get the razor professionally honed or someone with plenty of experience to do it so that you will know what a sharp straight should feel like. If you shave with a straight razor and it is not taking the hairs off without or very little pressure then that razor needs to be honed. Otherwise, you will have irritation and nicks and cuts that could be preventable.
My first straight was my Dovo Special 5/8 roundpoint that I bought from Lynn Abram's now defunct Straight Razor Design. I got it for about 110 dollars new because he had a going out of business discount. He hones all the razors that he sold so I had an edge from one of the great honemeisters starting my journey. Newbies need to have their first razors professionally honed so they have a standard as to what a honed razor should feel like when shaving. Really, they need 2 straight razors so that if one goes dull then they can send it out while they still gave another honed straight. Eventually, straight shavers should learn to maintain their own edges.
I know. When I read it, that's when I knew that it was my destiny to be a straight razor shaver. Lol!
