Originally Posted by
northpaw
Actually, that wasn't quite what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
I have a few natural stones: Arkansas translucent, C12k, Dragon's Tongue, and a borrowed Thuringian. I know that with some effort a slurry can be made on all of them, and my understanding was that it typically makes the honing action faster, coarser, or some combination of the two.
My understanding of the Japanese hones was that they are so special because the particles in their slurry break down so finely, producing a better and better edge as you hone. This is why I thought that it's recommended to use a rubbing stone and make a slurry before you start, while this is not the "standard" way of using other natural hones (that I know of).
To put it another way: if you start with a Japanese stone and use it with just water, it might give you the equivalent of 20,000 grit, while using it with a slurry will eventually produce the equivalent of a higher grit. My question was whether or not other hones are known to work this way.
For example, why wouldn't the silica in the slurry from an Escher also progressively break down and make a better edge than just using it with water, considering the below info?