Reading through the "One Coticule" honing process probably prompted the thoughts that caused me to post this thread.

I admit that I had hoped to read differing opinions on this idea in order to understand the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with attempting such a thing. I'm glad to see that no comments have begin with "Blasphemy!" or the like, and have been posted in a constructive way. Thanks for that.

I had wondered if the binder material would continue to break down into smaller, finer grits as noted by Smythe, but I have no experience to fall back on. Once the idea hit me I really began to wonder if it's possible to create a honing medium on a progressively finer surface (grit?) by diluting a slurry created by a barber hone. If so, they are traditionally much cheaper easier to come by than a coticule or escher.

I had also hoped that someone had already conducted such an experiment so a definitive answer could be provided. Since I've only just begun to get my hands on hones and have little to no experience, I am confident that any of my personal findings would be suspect because I don't have anything with which to compare the results.

When it comes to honing I have no ego to bruise, so I welcome all feedback, whether good or bad. I may try this out on a beater blade as I learn to hone simply to see what happens. I have no idea what to expect, but I hope that it's possible to use these hones for something other than a finisher, if for no other reason than to save money on an Escher / Thuringian / Naniwa / etc. On the other hand, I don't own these stones anyway, so I can't perform a side-to-side comparison.

If this simply seems like nonsense, please excuse the ramblings of a newb that needs more experience with the hones.

Thanks,

- Mark (S-4-C)