Hello,

I'm totally new to SRP. Most of my life I have shaved with electric. In the old days, before retiring, this was quick and functional. Recently, I came across an old straight razor in my Dad's things. It was his or maybe his fathers, I don't know. It is a Wade & Butcher, Sheffield, England, Manganese Steel with "Ivory" and silver handle. It appears to be in good shape. I tried to shave with it, and found that I was trying to shave with a butter knife. It removed the lather and not much else. I examined the cutting edge with a 30x lens and it appears to be in good shape to my untrained eye... no nicks or rust. I stropped and stropped... no help. I've come to the conclusion it needs honing. At this point I tried shaving with one of my wifes BIC throw aways. I found I really liked the experience and the result, and so did she.

I would like to get back to shaving basics with the family straight razor, but I'm reluctant to put the $100+ or so into the hones that I probably need. The point of all this is that I'm looking for a hone... cheap. I know the purists are going to say, "You get what you pay for." Right, I know that. I guess I'm looking to find someone who has a hone laying around that isn't being used that they'd be willing to sell... cheap. Or, I'm looking for constructive advice on how to accomplish my goal without wrecking the retirement budget.

I'm not a barber or a professional user in any way so I don't see that I need equipment that pros use to restore and maintain my razor. Any help would be appreciated.