1. Choose a hard stone, and only use it for finishing, while you learn to sharpen your razor with synths.
2. Don't buy one of those 1400 dollar stones off ebay.
3. Expect that you're gonna buy some duds, while you look for the one or several that will fulfill the duties of a properly ordered synth progression.
4. Read everything Jim's written here.
Honing Razors and Nihonkamisori: Updated. | Eastern Smooth: The Blog
5. Be sure and read the manuscript written by Iwasaki, and translated by Jim called Honing Razors and Nihonkamisori.
6. Recognize that if your slurry feels gritty, the stone is a paperweight...Get rid of it now...Preferably make it into dust, so that nobody else has to deal with it again.
7. Progressive slurry dilutions still work, but Japanese natural slurry will break down into finer and yet finer component parts while honing, unlike coticule stone.
8. Number 7 doesn't mean you won't have to dilute, because you are still dealing with steel particles, that IMO, oughta be cleared from the stone regularly. But it gets real hairy here because your stone is unique to itself. No other person can really advise you specifically, unless you let them use your stone for awhile.
9. After you've spent 3 hours setting your bevel, go ahead and set your bevel again a few more times, cause it's probably not done yet.
10. Number nine actually is universal.
11. Never give up.
12. Never give up.
13. Never, ever give up.
14. One stone, and several different slurry stones,
is an option with jnats.
15. If it were me, I'd find out who Mainaman buys from, and buy from them also.
16. Aframestokyo has some nice looking pieces.
I tried harder to stick with the topic this time. Wow, that's way harder than I imagined. :p
If nothing else, read Iwasakis manuscript a few times.
And yes, you quoted me out of context, which completely changes the meaning. The primary point is that naturals are unique to themselves. But, yes, best of luck. Agreement or disagreement was never my intent. :)