Thread: that soft rubbery feeling....

Noticed this sensation on and off when honing and today noticed the 'on' times are mainly experienced with one particular stone (sold to me as a La Dressante) at a particular stage in the honing process.



All feels the same on this coticule as it does on most any other stone during slurry and subsequent dilutions. Early water only stages feel normal and then the stone begins to feel soft and rubbery. Of course the stone itself hasn't changed none, but the feeling between it and the blade - tape or no tape - changes significantly. There's a distinct feeling when you apply minute upward or downward torque (little wobbles) through the stroke you get that real soft and rubbery sensation. Just to clarify the blade doesn't necessarily feel sticky but more that the stone feels softer. This will continue for a while then the stone will then feel harder and more glassy. The stone is virtually silent through this whole process - unlike my vintage coticule or BBWs which have more audible feedback.

Apologies for the vague explanation but it's really the best I can do.

Happy with the results - actually this is so far my favourite stone - but just keen to know if this sensation signifies a certain stage in the process and/or whether the stone is trying to tell me something when this happens.