I recently purchased a straight razor and had no clue what I was doing. I introduced myself to the list and asked for local advice. A very nice gentleman named walt took 4 hours of his time to show me diffedifferent razors and to get mine shave ready. He showed me how to stop and explained the process. I ordered a strop with his blessing and can't wait to try my razor. Just wanted to take a moment to thank an expert. There is a wealth of knowledge out there if you ask. Thanks