I returned recently to wet shaving and straight razors and I decided to learn myself how to hone a razor and maybe give a try in restoring one too. However, the only razors that I have in my collection are way too valuable to practice upon (two customs from Robert Williams and two vintage Wade&Butcher professionaly restored).
So, I would like to ask for your advice. What kind of razor should I practice on? Should I start with a vintage razor or a cheap Pakistani one? Where should I look for it?
I tried several antique stores in my city (Athens, Greece), but they tried to sell me razors with cracked and chipped blades for 40+ euros (they thought that I was a hipster new to the sport :) ). Given that investing on a coticule stone is already a big expenditure on my budget I would not like to spend too much on a practice razor.
Thank you in advance for your advice.