Welcome. I hope that things go smoother (no pun intended) from here on. As Ed said, pro-honing first (for about $25) by Lynn, Gssixgun or any of the vendors or classified people here would help you establish a standard by which to judge your own work in the future. Honing SRs can be tricky, as they are different than other sharp tools in their construction and thus maintenance.

Whichever, I hope you keep coming back and asking equations and your shaves improve.