coldcut,
The 'problem' of the medium to long-term maintenance of a straight is something that comes to us all :)
Some shavers just send the blade out to be honed; quite a few bite the bullet and learn to hone their own.
For me, honing is a most relaxing and satisfying activity :)
If possible, I would get another blade to learn on whilst your skills are developed.
If you send your current razor out to be honed, this will give you something to compare your own efforts against.
GSSixgun has recently posted some most excellent video honong tutorials; please take a look :)
YouTube - gssixgun
Good luck !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ