New straight shaver from South Carolina

I've been DE shaving for years and thought it might prepare me for straight shaving. Maybe in the prep and lather department, but nowhere else! In the past 2 days, I've cut myself more than the past 2 years of DE shaving. Is this kind of learning curve normal? Or am I just a shave retard? I bought a circa 1880 Wade and Butcher that was supposed to be shave ready. One thing for sure, it is nick ready:cry:. Actually I don't think the razor is sharp enough, as I'm having to push it through the whiskers, resulting in a massive bloodfest.

Most of us are or were 'shave retarded' in one way or another. My first shave was a blood bath too. The razor, I think, was not really 'shave ready'. Anyway, if you are unsure of the sharpness of the razor you can have a pro look at it and possibly hone it for you. A list of honers can be found in the classified section of this site.

Stick with it. You will climb the hill and get better. I am not perfect yet but after a year I can get really good shaves. Actually, after about 6 months I was really doing OK. I decided to learn how to hone which made everything interesting. Anyway, welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.