I'm worried about the color only because it can sometimes be an indication that the hone isn't flat. Mine seems to be flat, even with the variation in color, so I'm guessing it's just an artifact of the material in the hone.

I used 220 grit sandpaper initially and then worked my way up to 1200. The surface really didn't change.

I think suzuki's right that you can't make a hone coarser, because the abrasive remains the same regardless of how rough the surface feels. I just worry about using a shave-ready blade on a surface that's rougher than my 4K Norton.

This is a silly question, but would anyone who has a smooth hone be willing to either take some close up photos or let me try it out? I could pay for postage, and maybe even send a PayPal deposit. Or would you be willing to sell one?

Josh