Nubie saying Hello!

Hello All,
I joined this site after buying a razor on impulse and then realizing I knew absolutely nothing about them? :thinking:

Anyway since joining and looking around I have discovered that what I know about straights and shaving with them can be summed up in about 1 sentence, whereas what I don't know would fill an arena............ :o

So, If anyone here could kindly advise me upon the razor I bought, I'd really appreciate it.

It's deffo not shave ready (from what I've read here and trying to cut the hair on my arm).

the razor is;
6.5 inches long
3/4 wide
blade (cutting edge) 3.5 inches long.

writing on face of blade;
I Cut My Way
William Rodgers
Sheffield England
Express

Back of blade;
made and ground in Sheffield England.

Hard black plastic Scales.

From the pictures in this post, I'd say it is probably the same razor as this one but any info would be appreciated.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/buy-sell-trade-archive/14457-6-8-william-rodgers-express-shave-ready.html

Thank you in advance.
Upl8tr

Welcome!
It should be a great razor (hard to tell without pics), check the classifieds under member services, there are quite a few members that do honing in there.

First off - Welcome! Big 'grats for choosing quality. There's a learning curve, but you'll do it, and soon be getting the best shaves of your life. For a first blade, the friendliness of a sheffield is quite nice. As you progress, you'll develop your own preferences. For now - learning the shave, beginning w/ good beard prep, lather making, STROPPING, and learning your facial topography and the lay of your beard will keep you busy.

I don't have beard prep threads saves, but you'll find them in the Wiki.

The best lather making vids I know of are from Mantic:
‪How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather‬‏ - YouTube

Best stropping thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ch-2011-a.html
'includes afdavis' vids on stropping and the all important 'flip'. Not knowing those little details caused me to devour 5 strops. Sigh.

You'll do better than I. And you'll be loving it in no time.

There are also a number of members and other places at which to get free honing, but if you're starting out, it would be nice to have the confidence that a professional edge brings. 'Eliminates nagging doubts about the edge.

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the replies, it's appreciated, especially the tips.:tu

As for the free honing, is that a USA specific thing? (I'm in the UK).