been honing with Norton in hand
I'm pretty new to honing, i actually have only recently been able to consistently set a bevel properly and hone up through the different grit stones with success...
when i first started honing i was using lapping film on a small polished marble plate...i followed a video tutorial made by Slash McCoy and he always says that if you hold the plate in your hand while honing it helps to create a balance, and helps to keep the blade on the honing surface better...
well i was having a lot of trouble keeping my blade flat on my Norton 4k/8k and my Naniwa 12k...i was honing sitting down like Lynn does in his videos.....
so yesterday I decided to try holding the stone in my left hand and honing with my right hand... all I can say is "holy crap" I can't believe it worked...it felt comfortable, and very natural, and the blade just seem to melt into the stone never leaving the stone's surface... I just put the best edge on my blade that I have ever had and subsequently had the best shave I've ever had with a straight razor...
I suppose it's all about finding the best way to do things that work for you... and I'm happy to have found something that really works for me