It all came together this evening

Everything just seemed to work this evening for me.

First, I used a Norton 4/8K water stone followed by a 12K stone to hone the razor. Cleaned it up with 1 micron & .25 micron pasted strops. Finished with a plain leather strop.

Long shower with some hair conditioner worked into my 2-day old beard. Hot water ready and waiting for Bigelow cream with a drop of lanolin and a drop of Trumper's skin food added--made for some great lather.

The shave was fantastic--what difference the honing made! A few days ago this razor was tugging at my beard and causing some razor burn. This evening I just wiped the lather and whiskers away. Fantastic. As close to baby-butt as I've ever come with any razor.

A big thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum and thereby helped me pull this evening's shave together. I've learned quite a bit in the past 2 months and now can't imagine shaving any other way.

Congrats Nix! Its a great feeling isn't it? I cant wait till I begin honing my own blades . Im sure it makes the shaves even more rewarding.

Congrats ! You're on your way to even better shaves . I was about 2 months in , too when I decided the straight razor was the only way , for me . BTW don't be afraid to touch up your razors whenever you think they're not shaving quite right . I think it's better to hone too soon , rather than too late .