So my Iwasaki razor arrived...now what?
Today I received an Iwasaki razor from Japan, in fact from Spencer the broker who has advertised here before. I gave Spencer a URL, he gave me a quote, I PayPaled him the funds, and five days later my razor is here.
Now I've only before seen these in photos, and with the real article in front of me, discover this looks like a very different beast from the hollow ground straight razors to which I am accustomed. So somebody please tell me how I use this thing!
The blade appears to have a grind that makes it usable on one edge only. Is that right? If so, how does one shave with it? And how to strop it? Hone it?
Mine came with a small waterstone, still damp. Can I use my Norton 8000 grit waterstone on this? I am used to lying my other razors flat on the stone, each side...it looks like I can't do this anymore. As I'm a lousy knife sharpener without an aid to help me, I may have bit off more than I can chew on this one.
The razor itself comes in a very tight fitting wooden box, and in a plastic protective sheath. Further wrapped in directions, with only Japanese characters, and wrapped again in non-rust paper. It has a brutally simple elegance to it, and I'm confident that if I can ever figure out how to put it against my face, it will gave a good shave.
Thanks in advance for your help.