Hello Gents,

I'm doing something wrong, and I can't figure it out. I have 4 blades in my normal rotation - Dovo INOX Micarta, Dovo Bismarck, Filly DT #13, and a Craftsman ERN. I had been sending them to a honemeister for the first year and then I picked up a 4k/8k and a Naniwa 12k. All of the bevels were set by a honemeister. Aside from the Filly, the blades are amazing after refreshes on the 12k, or light pyramids on the 4k/8k...but the Filly is killing me. That's the background.
I've been refreshing the edge on the Naniwa 12k and a CrOx'd strop about every 7 shaves or so. Yesterday was the second time I'd actually put them through a pyramid on the 4k/8k. 1:5,3:5,5:5,3:5,1:5,1:5 (4k:8k). The stones were thoroughly soaked before use, and I'd lapped them the last time I used them. I finished them on an SRD paddle strop with a .5M diamond, then .5M CrOx. Finally I'll put them on my regular strop before use. I used tape during the first pyramid, but after reading various/conflicting posts about using tape I decided that I would go tapeless this time. I've also had various results using the HHT, which I've also read is a less than reliable method of testing sharpness.
I was excited to see if I'd "fixed" the Filly, so I used it last night...and it was terrible on my neck and cheeks. It had a scratchy rough feeling (which it did NOT have after returning from Max, but it DID have after my first refresh). I'll try another blade tonight, but I feel pretty sure they'll be back to their magically smooth feeling.
What can I be doing wrong with the Filly? I'm willing to send it back to the honemeister, but can he look at it and tell me what I'm doing wrong?

I also just read something that makes total sense, but I'd never considered - soaking the stones before lapping them...duh!! It makes sense to soak them and let them warp before lapping. I'll try that next time, but considering that the other blades turn out perfectly I'm not sure that this is the reason for my troubles. Someone has also mentioned that the Filly's SilverSteel takes more work to bring back...maybe I need a bigger pyramid?

Thanks,
John