The main culprit is my Norton 4/8. I have a similar problem on my Chinese Natural stone, but really minimal. I can snag some scotch brite pads from the parts dept at my work, but I've got some 0000 steel wool...would that work just the same, or would it damage the stone?

If I continue to leave it on the hone while I'm sharpening, do I risk clogging/glazing it?