Originally Posted by
Euclid440
Be careful using dish soap on synthetics. Many manufactures specifically warn against it.
I put a drop of Dawn dish soap on a Norton 8K and it ate a soft spot, depression in the stone. It is still there years, and many lappings later, though it does not affect honing.
Also do not use hot water on a stone if you are using tape, (which you should be, at least until you master honing). Hot water will heat the stone and the stone will heat the tape and cause it to slip and roll at the edges.
A good 8K, should not need anything but a good lapping to make the stone surface smooth, lighten up on pressure to finish. You might want to test on the side of the stone.
If your water is very hard, hone on bottled water, a dollar a gallon should last a while.