Quote Originally Posted by driftwood View Post
Yes I've tried the Coti after the 8K with water only. I find that the Coti removes the mirror finish that I get from the 8K. I've also tried coming off the 8K and raising a slurry on the Coti then rinsing that off and using water only.
Quote Originally Posted by driftwood View Post
So what does the bevel look like once your done on the finishing stone? Is there a small scratch pattern left from the natural, as opposed to the mirror finish you get from the 8K? I'm going to systematically take one natural at a time and use it in different ways until I figure it out.
You seem very focused on the finish of the bevel.
Under a low power loupe your 8k "mirror" finish will reveal scratches & even a 30 k Shapton will leave scratches. It is the nature of stones to scratch steel, even naturals.

Vastly more important is what those scratches do to the edge.