Quote Originally Posted by ben.mid View Post
Be very careful with the gold wash. It'll practically wipe off with polish.

Also, get it honed by someone who knows what they're doing before you use it again. It can make the difference between sticking with it & giving up.
Good tip about the gold bit, never really thought about it before, if my knife sharpening stone is fine enough I'm going to have a go at honing it myself as I can't afford to send it off for someone else to do it. I watched the you tube clips about honing and it looks easy enough, just like sharpening a normal knife only more gentle

Quote Originally Posted by noggs247 View Post
You have not said what other kit you have - i assume you have a working strop (as you shaved with it before,) or is that antique strop in the photo usable?
Apart from that old stick strop (the side showing is in good condition compared to the other side!) I have a badger hair brush that my dad used to use (he gave it to me when I was 18) and I have used it many times with my old WW1 Safety Razor (I'll post a pic if you want me to).

As I'm a mediaevalist and re-enactor who's always been on a budget I tend to make a lot of my own stuff and with that in mind I'm going to put together a proper hanging strop from some of the boot leather I have lying about. If your lucky I'll post a 'look what I made' thread about that as well.

Quote Originally Posted by Stubear View Post
Do check out the Wiki here as it is full of useful information. Especially take a look at the FAQ and beginners guide.
1st thing I did before signing up when F16WarBird told me about this place (he and my Fiancée are good friends) was to read as much of the Wiki as I could, I'll re-read it a few times more whilst I'm learning a bit more about what I should be doing with my razor.

Fingers Crossed.