Auleum,

I'm a newb myself, so I can't tell you one way or the other about your experience, but I can tell you what has worked for me. I got my first Ralf Aust last Christmas from SRP. It came shave ready, so naturally I immediately rolled the edge on my new Roo Strop. I think I blacked out because I don't really know what happened immediately after that, but somehow, some way, I continued to shave with it until I could formulate an alternate plan. Yes, Lynn offered a free re-hone with the purchase, but since I didn't have a backup, I didn't want to send it off just yet. In the interim, I bought a 4K/8K stone from a local woodshop. It was expensive, but I would rather invest in tools and learn than pay someone to do it for me. In the meantime, I bought a sight-unseen from Whipped Dog. It came shave ready, and I now had something to compare to whatever I could get with my stone and new razor. I figured I could always fall back on Lynn for his free honing if necessary. I was eventually able to get my new blade back into shape, and have since refreshed both the whipped dog and the new. Sometimes I dull them on the stone more than they already were on my face, but as long as one blade is sharp, I feel ok taking the time to get the other one back into shape. I can tell when I am getting close, and it's amazing to see the difference between just coming off of the stone as compared to just coming off of the strop. While I'm not really in any position to advise you on stones and such, it seems to me that a stone should be smooth and gouge or grit free (outstanding grit that is) just after lapping. If I feel an errant grit grain on my stone during the process, I will wipe my hand down the stone to remove any loose grains, then splash on some water and start again. I also tape my spines just because I like things to stay nice, which is kind of funny when you see the spine on my whipped dog. It has a little hone wear so I certainly can't mess it up. I hope this helps. Don't feel bad. The only person who never makes mistakes is someone who never does anything. At least you are man enough to ask for help. You have my respect. Rob