Pretty much what Mark said. If there are areas that are higher on the back then the edge, then as you hone only these areas will be honed leaving that edge rough. Mo, this slick came extremely rough. All I need is to grind down the back enough so that the edge is honed smooth.Any other hollows I dont care about. Unfortunately this slick was pretty out of wack, as the middle of it was much higher than the ends( socket end and cutting edge)In order to get to the edge I have ground down this middle portion.
I thought about hollow grinding it down like Japanese chisels but I was already so far along. I dont use machines for sharpening as the stones usually do the job.
I have been meaning to get a piece of float glass and some silicon carbide papers. It seems like a good fix for some jobs. I always wondered if you were putting some elbow grease into the grinding, is the glass strong enough to not break? How thick should it be? float or plate glass? thanks all. tb