Hi all, i'm brand new to this wonderful world of straight razors and got a bit ahead of myself - ordered a new razor (5/8 timor 'Hamburg ring') & strop from classicshaving... then discovered this forum and realized that it would have probably been a better idea to purchase a pre-honed razor...

However, upon receiving the razor, I noticed that the edge has a slight (very slight) sag towards the middle, a trait that i've read is undesireable.

Would the instructions in the barbering textbook (regarding 'maintaining the correct curve/"smile" on a blade') work equally well to straighten out the edge? I expect to have a norton 4/8k later on this week.

Also... how much honing is typical on a new blade to get it shaving sharp? Just a light honing? I realize that it probably varies widely, but any general guidelines?

Thanks!!

Jeff