eBay, and local antique shops (in many places) are good sources for "blades to practice honing".

It's really nice to shave with a blade you honed yourself. But (as everyone who has tried it, knows), learning to "hone and shave" is a _lot_ harder than learning to shave with a known-sharp blade.

My first razor was a Wade and Butcher with a frowning edge. It took a _long_ time for me to get that to the point that I could shave with it. And it was only after I'd used a Lynn-honed Dovo that I understood what "sharp" really meant.

. Charles