Hi All,

I'm a new member in this forum and also a new straight razor user (complete rookie). I have recently bought a new Dovo 5/8" razor and out of the box it was really sharp, but not sharp enough to pass the hanging hair test (I know that this test is not a reliable test). I tried shaving a bit, the sideburn are, and it pulled the hair. I have looked around for a honing stone and came across quite a cheap option on amazon called Kinps Taidea, with 3000/8000 combo for £29 in UK. Bought it and after watching some videos on youtube and reading some threads about honing here, I tried to hone it. Did some passes on the 3k side and then some on 8k side. The razor did not feel dull, but not much sharper than from factory.
I decided to hone it again, but put some more work into it. I tried the circular technique on 3k side then about 10 X passes and the same ok 8k side, but after that the razor felt even duller. I think I used pretty uneven pressure as well, since the bevel became quite thin in the centre and much wider on the heel and toe sides... I tried the pyramid approach afterwards, but to no avail, the razor still pulls hair.
I know that I've ruined the bevel a little bit, but I imagine that is fixable. So I have two questions:
1) What would you guys recommend for setting a proper bevel again.
2) Is the honing stone that I've purchased good enough for honing a straight razor? Can I blame the stone for this misfortune, or is the lack of skill so bad that I have ruined the razor?

I have attached some images of how the razor looks now, and how the stone looks now (seems like on the 3k side it has some scratches which were not present).

p.s. I have also soaked the stone for quite some time, is it possible to over-soak a stone so it looses its properties?