If you havent done so already take a look at the SRP Wiki honing tutorials. Particularly the rolling x. This PDF of a 1961 barber manual excerpt on honing and stropping here is also instructive on how to approach a blade such as you describe.
My approach to learning to hone was to buy a lot of vintage razors. I bought full bladed razors with undamaged blades and scales once I knew enough to avoid razors with issues.
IMO having one or two and getting them to shave ready will not be enough practice to really learn to hone. Having one or two pro honed razors to compare your own efforts to is ideal. I did that and left them alone and focused on practice razors. Just my approach, not necessarily the best one and certainly not the only way to do it.