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I bought my first straight today at a local antique store, a Shumate that caught my eye. I really know very little in the way of straights but I stropped the crap out of it to see if I could actually use it, but it didn't seem to be nearly sharp enough.
The blade itself seems to be in good shape with a little patina, so the question is what should I do next?
Grats on the razor! If you can, post a picture of it. Check the classifieds and look at "Member Services". There's a bunch of folks there who can get it ready for you to shave.
It's rare that an an antique shop razor will be sharp enough to shave with right off the shelf. And no amount of stropping is going to help. You will have to have your razor honed to a "shave ready" condition and then use your strop to maintain that edge in the future. If the condition of the blade suits you, the next step is to have your razor honed.
Regards - Walt
any chance of seeing a picture? We do love our razor porn, and could give you a better idea if this is hone-able in the first place.