Newbie Honing thoughts

I have honed a few razors now and would like to offer my observations of the process.

First stones I used were off the auction site and were 5000 and 8000 grit water stones. I also purchased a 12,000 grit stone for finishing.
I have several leather hanging strops, 2 of which are linen/leather combos.
Once I had these in hand, I "sharpened" a few razors. They were ok, nothing to really get excited about.
It was suggested to me, to join this website and do some research on hones, strops, and techniques.
So, obviously here I am.

On my first set of stones I read of lapping them for flatness. I did not have a lapping stone so I used one of my diamond steel extra fine "stones" to lap them with. It was an interesting experience for me. I have all kinds of stones and sharpening tools and I never even thought about the stones not being lapped flat.

After reading and watching, doing some research, I purchased the Norton combo 250/1000 and 4000/8000 stones along with a lapping stone included in the package. I also got a slurry stone. For a finishing stone, I opted for the Shapton 16,000 grit. The 12,000 I was using is a bit narrow.
Got the stones in and put some grid marks on them and stated lapping the stones smooth with a bevel to the sides and ends.
I am still checking for smooth and can tell things are better.

I sharpened a few more razors and saw some better results. I am still not there, but I am not as far away I think.
I am starting to get through the HHT, I have little hair on one of my arms and I feel that my backhand is improving due to the amount of stropping I have done.

So, things I have learned:

Blade shapes and metallurgy are different. I sharpened some Sheffield steel and got nice results with less trouble. German steel takes me a little more time.
American blade (alot of them are imported I know, but there are a few that were made here) went well but I had a good bevel to work with already and I shaved with it to compare with the razor I honed for myself. Not bad!

You have to learn to deal with the bevels, smiles, and frowns that are on the razors. For me this is a work in progress.
I have been re-setting the bevels to practice and help me try to balance the hone marks I make.

I find myself looking at the blade bevels and flats on the spine after several strokes to make sure I am not making the flat extremely wide or the blade only half sharp.

I am religious about maintaining my stones, hopefully in a proper way.

I am learning the feel of each stone and blade. The pressure has been adjusted as needed by using the magnifying glass to see if I am covering the length of the razor.
I noticed that the sharp razors seemed to have very little hone marks or width of the flats. This is partially due to the newness and because the razor was properly maintained. Some of the grinds I have seen and worked with make me wince a little. I don't want someone to think I am totally inept when in fact I started with a mess to begin with.

I keep my stones wetted with a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store. I saw this in a video and thought this was way too simple not to use.
I soak my stones before I use them. 1) It says so in the instructions and 2) when I first put them in the water, I can hear it sucking in the water.

I have used a pyramid for honing and the many circles you hear about on the site, and have now formulated my own technique from a compilation of threads and videos offering up their techniques. As I progress through the stones, I use less passes on the same side than the starter stones. If I have set a good bevel or am using a previous bevel set, I will normally lower the same side strokes to 5 at a time. and lowering that as I go into the finishing stone. I have time to do this and being a newbie, this is what I feel is needed to improve my feel and technique. I do not have a problem dropping back a stone or two if it is not getting there. This is what is working for me and in no way am I suggesting for someone else to pattern off of me. There are experts on this site with many years of experience that I would trust before me.
They have all probably been where you and I are going to go. It's their turn to smile and nod when we tell them of our issues.

When the afflicted razor starts shaving hair from my arm without trouble I usually try them on the strop. I have 4 hanging strops, two with linen and leather combos. One strop is well broken in and the one I work with the most. I use all of the strops for a few strokes but I complete the process on the one that is experienced. I use the other strops to try and slowly break them in and to keep them from being jealous of the other strop. I use anywhere from 50 to a 100 on the linen depending on how it feels or sounds. If you have a trouble side, you may can hear the difference in the glide against the strop. (CAUTION, if your technique is sound then you may be able to feel or hear a difference. If your technique is off, the same thing may happen. Slow down for a few strokes to see if there is a difference and go from there. ) If it does not quiet down, I go back and check the edge and maybe put it back on the finisher. If it quiets down, then I give it some laps, clean it and then go on to the leather for finish.
On the leather I try to get into a rhythm for the passes. I don't worry so much about fast, I worry about a consistent strokes. After about 50 -100 passes, I will check it, try a HHT, and either put it away or strop it a few more strokes and re-check. This may be excessive right now, but it works and there is only one way to gain this type of experience...you have to work it.

I have a lot of razors to work on. I should be getting my experience increases for a while yet. There is no limit to the number of razors on the auction site, just to my paypal account.

I like honing, I would like to become good enough to hone for others and have them pleased with my work. I will continue the reading, watching, and chatting to gain more knowledge. It is a cool thing when you tell people you shave with a straight and can sharpen them too. I only get to say half of that right now, but I am working on it.

Hopefully this is in some way helpful to others. Almost all the questions you see coming in this site will help you in some small way. And, if you need that information, there is always a mentor or two watching the threads and most can give US a helpful thought or two. I like this place.