Congratulations on taking up the challenge. Honing by hand is part science and part art.
The biggest mistake I see newbies make is too many strokes
edge on, especially at the higher grits. Set the bevel with edge on strokes at the 1k and 4k level, but then finish with
stropping strokes only at 8k on up. This will prevent you from killing the edge with too many strokes. I am a big fan of balsa CrO, and of course finish with leather.
The advice on this thread is very good. If you don't have a perfect bevel set at the lower grits, then it is unlikely that you will reach the blades full potential with more strokes at the finer grits.
Hang in there.
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