Originally Posted by
Sterm
It's a secret. That recalls me a story I already experienced somewhere else.
When I started varnishing stringed instruments I started looking for varnish recipes and reading many books on that subject. Many people were talking about the legendary Stradivary varnish and its lost secret. Though ALL reputated makers make beautiful varnishes, they don't like to tell you how they get it and you can find some very simple recipes. After 20 years practice I can tell you that there is no secret, only experience and practice. I am currently using 5 different recipes and practiced 10 more. I choose according to the result I want and my feeling of the day. For each recipe I use a different procedure, practice and experience provide the desired result.
Without the experience and the procedure and the skill, the recipe is useless. Could I explain all that in a message? I don't think so. Should I give a recipe when knowing that the NB will not get any result and will think that I fooled him? Then I rejoined the army of secret keepers.
With honing it's like the same: it's not the hones sequence, because with experience and practice you can use almost any sequence.