Ok, I just bought my first straight razor. I got it from an antique show after talking the guy down from $30 to $20 because one scale was cracked at the rivet that holds the blade. It's a Crown Razor Co. made in Boston, MA and says Extra Hollow Ground Fully Warrented on it. I read another post here that said this is a good razor that was made from 1900-1930. It has a little rust on it also, but it looks like it could be removed with steel wool. The edge is decent but it will need honed before use.
Now for questions.
1. Does this seem like it was a good deal? I looked at 20-30 razors before I got this one. I was looking for a very plain looking (therefore not expensive to antiquers) razor with a good blade for a decent price. I didn't want to spend much without knowing if I even liked shaving with one.
2. Is it hard to find someone who uses a straight razor locally (barber maybe?) that will hone a razor for you? I don't have a hone and assume a knife sharpening stone would not suffice.
3. Until I buy an actual strop, will any old piece of leather work as one? I have a few old leather belts around which is what my dad and grandpa always used after sharpening knives. It worked on fillet knives will it work on razors?
Thanks and any other tips/recomendations are more than welcome. I have done a lot of reading (mostly on this site) but have absolutely no actual hands-on knowledge of "real" razors.
I apologize if the pictures don't show up. If they don't I'll fix them later. They're not showing up in the preview so we'll see.