Quote Originally Posted by JimmyHAD View Post
I wonder if pressure could have something to do with that ? Or possibly grit carried over from the coarser stones to the 12k ? I'm anal about cleaning the blade before going to the next grit, and keeping the stones isolated from each other.
Maybe the op can weigh in on this but all I can think is maybe the 12k is leaving fine scratches that become visible on the polished edge off the Norton. The Norton having a more friable abrasive giving the appearance of a better polish. The more variation in particle size the smoother the look. I don't have a Norton but know well this effect with King stones. Work a bevel on a King 1200 then run that same bevel on a DMT 1200 for a few strokes. You'll see scratches no doubt.

Jnats can work this way too. Some will give the nice hazy kasumi finish, others with a very hard & even particle size can leave tiny scratches if used with water alone. It's all cosmetics tho.