Thank you Good Sir!

This cleared up just about everything I needed to hear, and it is clearly something I suspected about the flattening. It seems so different from a waterstone in composition (read "feel") to me that I had to inquire. I wish I knew the composition! I'm glad you refrain from grit typing as it would, for me, put more confusion into the mix.

I apologize for the pic, I only wanted to exemplify the product for recognition's sake.

Thanks to all for their help in this!
"Dapper" Dan