Hello, me again. When you are honing always use a light pressure. The pressure should be only that which is necessary to keep the blade flat on the stone. This rule applys to the two stones that you are using when your razor has a properly established bevel.

How to use the hones. Check out the Honing & Stropping forum, please clear this one for me, honing ratios, page two and read the post from Kelly. Pay attention to the diagrams and how much of the razor is to be on the hone.

What you have are probably classic barber hones. They require more laps on the stone then if you were using a 3" Norton 4000/8000 hone. They simply cut steel slower than the modern hones.

Some of us use a technique that the founder of this group, Lynn Abrams, developed. It is called Pyramid honing and is a gradual, cautious approach to honing a razor. Its goal is to avoid overhoning a razor.

The notation used is XX on the coarse stone/ XX on the fine stone, such as on the Norton stone a suggested set of sequences is
1/5 ( one lap on the coarse stone followed by 5 laps on the fine stone) then
1/5 then
3/5 then
1/5 then
1/5
You would use the ball of your thumb or the nail test or the hanging hair test, whichever, to feel the amount of change. Repeat if necessary. The above sequence would be applied to a previously keen razor that was no longer shaving as well as you wished.

A more aggressive sequence is
15/5
10/5
5/5
3/5
1/5
1/5
Then test again, repeat if necessary
This would be applied to a razor that was pulling hair and not shaving.

Now, the above is only for a Norton Hone. The classic barber hones require much more laps.
How much really depends on the hones that you are using. Try the following,( boy am I going to catch flack for this but you have to start somewhere)
I feel that a multiple of 5 is quite conservative so my suggestion to you is start cautiously with the following sequence

5/15
5/15
15/15
5/15
5/15
test, if close then repeat, if not then a more agressive sequence is

75/15
60/15
50/15
40/15 ( perform your tests several times during this sequence)
30/15
20/15
15/15
10/15
5/15
5/15
5/15
test, by this time you will have developed a feel for the rate of change that occurs and you can modify the sequences to suit. Repeat as necessary.

The difficulty you will face is determining when the razor is shaving sharp. Since you have no point of reference it will be an incremental process. But rest assured that it will get there.
By the way, the only real test is the shave itself.

Oh ! You MUST strop before each shave! 35 slow, gentle laps should do it.

Patience is a necessity ( unfortunately),