Ok, I am nearing the end of my hone quest. I have found an #8000 at a good price, and a finishing stone at a GREAT price. #1000 hones are a dime a dozen, if I ever end up needing one.

For the life of me, I can't find a #4000 hone at a reasonable price. For one reason or another, they always end up being more expensive than any other stone I can find--it appears they are less common for honing in Japan.

However, I can find 6000 stones all over the place. Can I sort of slide this in instead of a 4000 when it comes time to build up an edge, perhaps using slurry to speed the cutting time? I'm looking at it because it is readily available at my local home center, and is very reasonably priced...is the necessity for the 4000 in the bevel establishment/polishing progression totally unavoidable?

As always, thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Jim