hey guys.

my interest in shaving with a straight is largely a cost saving one. being the case i've opted to surf antique shops for old razors rather than purchasing new. the situation ends up being that I have an antique razor in good condition with an edge similar to a sharp kitchen knife. it will take down thin hairs but pulls on my beard. cuts paper.

i have been reading about hones for the last few weeks and it would seem that the best budget setups would include the norton 4k/8k stone. from there the next step would be a finishing stone. chinese 12k being probably the best option where value for money is concerned. spyderco UF being an upgrade there for a considerable amount more money and the shapton 16k on the long list of premium options for finishing.

right out of the gate i'm thinking of a single stone setup with the norton 4/8 then stropping with oil and shaving. theory being my edge wouldn't be at it's full potential but, as i'm new to using a straight, that would be advantageous. once funds allowed i would go for a finishing stone.

questions are: am i going about this correctly? should i opt for a finishing stone first rather than touching up on the 8k side of the norton? if so would the finishing stone be able to sharpen a less keen edge as is what i'm dealing with? i suppose the other option would be a pasted strop rather than a finishing stone. .5 micron paste works out to around 30k grit so that would be slow going.