I'm Joel and, after searching this forum, I have picked up straight razor shaving. I found a Wester Bros De-Fi 34, Durham Demonstrator, and a leather case for 30 bucks at an antique mall and dove in. I had the Wester honed and have used it twice on my neck with pretty good results. No nicks yet (besides the tip of my thumb doing the hanging hair test) and less irritation than disposable cartridge razors, but it isn't really smooth yet. I splash hot water and tea tree oil then brush on shaving cream. Nothing fancy. My razor edge is a little more knife like than it could be. I would like to find someone in western WA state that could properly hone my razor. And any advice or pre-shave ritual would be appreciated.
-Joel