I would recommend doing some reading in the library section of the forum on honing.
Quality hones are pretty expensive. Unless you just really want to learn how to hone razors, I would suggest sending them to a professional. Then you can maintain the edge with a strop until it needs additional honing.

You don't stop with the coarse stones, so the 'scratches' doesn't matter. You work your way up from coarse to fine, removing the 'scratches' of the previous grit each time you progress. If you started out with a 8,000 grit stone on a razor that needs bevel work, it is going to take a LONG time.