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you need a synthetic before the jnats, it makes life a lot easier, other wise you have to go trough a bunch of Jnats before you find the correct ones to do the job fro you.

it looked symmetrical to me too, you nee to hone it just like any other straight,
On the no swarf issue, have you honed it on synthetics? I know those steels are very abrasion resistant so it is...

You need more than just botan to get the max out of the edge. You need to get a Mejiro nagura and a piece of tomonagura as well.
1 hour honing just to referesh is a very long time.

Impossible to...