Kees,

I've been away on vacation a while and couldn't reply when you first posted.
I am both interested and encouraged by your posts. I've slaved away over my Arkansas surgical black for over 20 years using oil and getting an edge that was just adequate enough to shave. I only relatively recently found this site and have learned a great deal. I'm currently wearing my arms out lapping my surgical black, but I intend to try your method alternating with the arkansas medium and surgical black with water (my wife couldn't take the smell of Kerosene in the house). I do, however, intend to purchase a Norton 4k/8k tonight from the local woodworking store since I'm tired of spending so much time honing. But I'm very intrigued to find out that there may have been an acceptable honing technique right under my nose all those years. If only I had known....