I cannot add to much to this thread other than what happened today.

I had a razor, a Henckels 8/8, that had the beginnings of a wire edge. So, I tried doing some circles on a coticule, approx 30 each side. The result was not satisfactory there were 2 more micronicks than when I started. So I went to the strop and tried to strop off the wire edge, again. no luck.

However there was a small nick about 3/4" from the toe plus 2 smaller ones. So I used the Norton 4K and did some circles, 20 each side, lightly. The result was a disaster! The nick expanded into a nice big divot!
This was my third honing session on this Henckels. I have learned that it has brittle steel. The solution was to use 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the divot and micronicks and then The Belgian blue and yellow. The result is a very clean edge. Tomorrow is the shave test.
No more circle honing on coarse stones for me! I have had enough problems from that technique. Yes, I know it depends on the steel and the grind. But how do you tell if a steel is brittle? I cannot.