Recently I feel as though my honing skills are improving. I'm really getting to know the meaning of flat and how it feels. For lapping I use the Norton Flattening Stone on my 1k and 4k. 8k and above get flattened by an Atoma diamond plate. For some reason I could swear that my 1k and 4k aren't getting flat with the NFS. I use a pencil to make a grid and lap a time or two. The surface feels high in the center (almost tubular). The blade will actually rock a little while laying on the hone. When I get to my 8k lapped by the Atoma it feels as flat as can be. Am I crazy? Is the NFS to blame? Maybe it's my techinque.