newbie with a bit of past history but needs help!

ok were do i start , i am from birmingham england and i love shaving ! thank god i have found this place.
yes i was a mach 3 user for years due to being in the navy down plymouth , i had no choice and time . But then i found badger hair brushes and soap bowels , then came my first DE and i've not looked back. Iuse my DE everyday as well as all the pre and post shave stuff and i really really enjoy a good proper shave with a man size piece of metal and a sharp edge!!!(my wife thinks iam a bit strange), so i then started going to a barber in plymouth (down mutley plane if anyone knows it) and he started doing "straight razor shaves" so i jumped at the change, got talking and he said he uses a shavett for h&s . so i got him to show me how to shave with a shavett , trip to ebay and bobs your uncle a dovo shavett.
so for the last 2-3 years its been DE in the week and dovo shavett for weekends!!
let me get to the point , i want to try the hard stuff , as now a toolmaker i like the idea of the honing and resturation work of keeping old and knew str8 razors in top nick. so i am lookinf for a good razor to start and some advice , i have manged to "borrow" a nortan 4000/8000 grit stone from work and i have a 12000 natural stone off ebay.have done alright??
and i was looking at Cyril Salter Solingen 5/8 Open Razor Round Point and Dovo Leather and Canvas Razor Strop gift set for £90 , will this start me off ok? and would it be best to get a cheap £10 razor to pratice my honing skills?.
thank you all for you time hope i have not bored you!
thank god for this site as well !
:bow
from a man that love a good shave and a bropper wind up watch with a working movment!!!

You're not boring. Most of us were new to straights and had similar questions of our own.

You are doing good. I'm not familiar with the brand of razor you are considering but be sure it is made shave ready or have one of the honemeisters put a proper edge on it for you. I'm sure there is some relatively close to you that can help. I good place to find a shave ready straight (open) razor is in the classifieds section of this site, just be sure it states shave ready. There is a list of preferred razors in the WIKI on this site as well as SOME of the ones to avoid. Having one to practice honing with while having a shave ready to use is a good way to go. I look forward to hearing about your venture into straights and any further questions we can help you with. :gl:

nice one joed ill keep you informed thanks a lot "p.s love the photo"

is this a load of crap ???
Straight Cut Throat Razor+ Leather Strop Gift Set G14 on eBay, also, Shaving Grooming Kits, Hair Removal, Health Beauty (end time 12-Feb-09 23:17:00 GMT)

think it is should i get a dovo and get it hone by some one who knows what they are doin?? this is what my hart is saying!!!!:shrug:

Hi Stan,
I don't much like the look of that razor. I think Cyril Salters are rebranded Dovos so should be ok but it won't come shave-ready so, as you say, a practice razor might not be a bad idea.
I suspect you should have a good idea of how a razor should feel if you're used to the shavette but a prehoned one's a good bet to start off with. I initially started by sharpening one I got in a junk shop many years ago which was satisfying but I paid in blood and pain for that.
This one might be a nice starter although you may find a bigger blade suits you better. Horses for courses.
The 12000 stone (and a strop of course) should be fine for keeping it in shape.
Good luck!

Try the classifieds and see if you cant buy a decent blade from a member in the UK, It will be ready to go and probably a lot cheaper than buying new, everyone here has a reputation to protect, not every internet vendor cares.

Hello Stan, another Brummie here and by some strange coincidence I also collect old mechanical watches, amongst other stuff :) Welcome aboard. Pm me your address, I have a crap razor you can practice honing on if you like, it will take a half decent shaving edge but it doesnt hold it for long, it came with another razor I got off the bay, Ive shaved with it and it looks ok but finish is not great.

You could buy from Dovo Razors , they do new Dovos or nice vintage blades. They also have a sharpening service if you buy a razor elsewhere.
For £31.20 all-in you can get a shave-ready Wapienica. They aren't everybody's idea of a beautiful razor, but they sure are a sturdy workhorse, and buying it shave-ready lets you know what to aim for with razors you end up honing yourself. Highly recommended if you can't find something you like in the classifieds here.

Look in the classifieds here too. Great stuff there from time to time. Other than that, the guys are giving you the goods and you're off to a good start.

X

nice one all thats great advice !! i've made my mind up .I am going to look around on here and get a good shave ready str8 and get a good dovo strop to start with.
i have come across straight razor design on the internet are they anything to do with this site and would i get a good razor from them??
thanks for the advice again everyone ill keep you all posted , hopefull not to long before i get my first str8!
nice to see a brummie on here jason , ill pm you now

p.s just had a look at a sliver Wapienica on invisable edge.com would this be a good starter?

Straight Razor Design are run by Don and Lynn from the site here, yes and I'm sure you'd get an excellent razor from them.
A Wapienica from Invisibleedge would be a great first razor. Mine has a blade at least as good as any of my more expensive razors although the weight of the scales takes a little getting used to. It sounds as though you're on a good path.

just ordered my first wapi and strop off Invisibleedge can't wait now

I think that's a really good place to start. There a quite a few guys here that keep their wapi's in rotation even after they "upgrade". Welcome to SRP