Well...I guess I didn't make it duller!
So, I got a Double Arrow (two, actually) off the 'bay (one of them is so misaligned that it hits the scales an inch into the blade...I'll leave that one for a while).
The one I decided to give a shot at honing could cut hairs if I pushed hard, and half-tore the hair with the edge. I got razor burn on my forearm when I did this.
Norton 1K: Set the bevel with around 20 light pressure strokes, looked at it under a loupe, saw that the bevel was already well established, but pretty rough. Hot it around 20 more times with light pressure, then maybe 10 with REALLY light. Just about passes the TNT at this point
Norton 4K: Approx. 25 strokes going from light pressure to blade weight only. TNT is now passed easily. Razor will cut hairs JUST SLIGHTLY BETTER than at the beginning. Still ripping more than cutting.
Full Aggressive pyramid at this point. TPT feels pretty good, not great. Another Aggressive, went through the first 4 levels. Now the TPT feel quite good, and it shaves hair off the forearm and the back of the hand pretty smoothly.
Conservative pyramid...went through it almost to the end, and stopped "feeling" any improvement. Shaving arm/hand hair feels really nice.
Chinese 12K: ABout 50 laps. Blade is pretty shiny now...arm/hand hair feels good...but I have very soft arm/hand hair and a rough beard...so the test in the morning will be the only one that matters.
Still doesn't pass the HHT. Doesn't even feel close, actually. Don't know which of these steps I would have needed to do more of to get it there.
Morning shave: Well, it cuts hair. It isn't comfy like a professionally honed blade, though. My neck and cheeks didn't come smooth, and without a nice smooth blade, I am scared to do ANOTHER ATG pass, I think it would tear me up. So I touch up the worst spots, rinse, use some Alum block in case of irritation, splash on some Iced lime, and check out my work.
Well, definitely not the worst shave I've gotten since I started with Straights. Sure, it's not the closest, either. But you know what, I feel like I earned it. Like skiing so-so terrain after you climbed the mountain yourself. Or driving the POS that you bought yourself by flipping burgers in High School.
Now...I don't need to hone every day...how do I get better? If I only hone once a month, how do I learn the subtleties that will help me get the smoooothness that I have seen from guys who have done this for a while?
Anyway, I can't imagine anyone has actually read this whole thing, if you have, thanks for listening (reading?)