Dear honing enthusiasts,

I am definitely in need of advice. I have been straight razor shaving for 5 years now and have been honing my razors that whole time. For most of that time, I used a Norton 4k and 8k. I keep my stones lapped using glass with 3m wet or dry 400 grit. For a while I finished on strops with various diamond and other pastes, then moved to whatever 12k they sell on classic shaving. Recently I tried the diamond lapping films from Lee Valley, with no luck at all. Today, I tried with my brand new Naniwa 1k and 5k, followed by the norton 8k and the unknown 12k. I have a TI razor and a Hart, and keep up the edges on my brother's TI and my brother in law's Dovo.

My problem is inconsistency. I always sharpen till I get a nice edge on the razors, but the problem is that sometimes I get the nice edge after the first progression through the grits, and sometimes I have to come back to it a few times before it is any good. I haven't given up because I know I can get a great edge, but I am frustrated by how hit or miss it is. I have tried taping the spine, not taping the spine, circles, x strokes, straight strokes and whatever else I see in the videos. Frankly, I feel like I am getting worse at this as I get more experience and equipment.

In watching the videos, it seems to me that the expert gentlemen demonstrating could get a nice edge using just about any combo of strokes and equipment, and not only that, they are chatting away while doing it and not utterly engrossed like me. I can appreciate that they have worked hard to make it look easy, and I am dying to know what I am doing wrong. To me, it looks like I am exactly following the various methods and progressions shown. Is there some common error that I am probably making? I only hone every few months; is there some motion I am likely getting wrong? I have become convinced that I must be spazzing out somehow, because I have great equipment, and am worried that my wife's eyebrows might raise right off her head if any more sharpening stuff shows up on the porch.

I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Thanks,
Justin