So I received a new straight razor over the holiday that came "Shave Ready", after shaving I was rather unimpressed so I took it to the Norton for the first time (my first and it's first).

-The first think I noticed was the initial sharpening didn't leave an even edge on the razor.
-The second thing I noticed was when the blade was flat on the stone the toe was not touching.

I did what I could to even up the edge on the 4K then took it to the 8k and strop. I shaved afterwards and really didn't notice much of a difference, the blade didn't seem to cut well on my heavier growth areas which isn't really saying much as I shave twice a week. I also felt the blade to give me a bit of razor burn but could be from the lather being a bit on the dry side.

Should I "Flatten" the Norton to ensure it is not causing the uneven lay of the razor or is this normal and compensated through the X Pattern?
How do I know that the edge is set and I didn't ruin the blade by taking it to the Norton to many times in trial and error?
How can I solicit local meetup assistance in the Columbia Maryland area?

Thanks for the help!