Hey there all. New to the group and new to straight-razor shaving in general, but I could use a bit of advice.

My very much well-meaning wife bought me a brand new straight razor from The Art of Shaving in New York for my birthday this past January. After a quick in-person training from them, I started in on shaving at home and things went fairly well. After a few times, I felt like I was getting a nearly decent shave, having to go back with my old safety razor to spot shave still a bit, but I was progressing.

Sadly, despite the elevation in skill and regular strop-use, my shaves were becoming progressively more rough and pain-inducing. After a couple months of this and resulting severe day-long razor burn, I had to give it up all together. I'm wondering if the razor might need to be honed or sharpened and, if so, whether I might be able to get a brief bit of advice on how best to do so.

Thanks for hearing me out. Looking forward to close, non-creinge-worthy shaves in the future.