You should learn more about leather.
Yes I should. But from what I already learned - Hand American Made is not good for sharpening. I hope you will learn this too.
What I learned.
Leather kind of bend under pressure and tend to not just convexing edge but dull it making very edge round. The thicker leather - more this effect take place. And leather may looks hard in hands, but it is still much softer then steel and during honing if angle is bit bigger then it need to be - blade will contact leather surface by very edge and pressure accumulated on this very edge contacting leather will be much bigger then it feel.
Of course careful angle control and low pressure may resolve this issue but it is harder if leather is thick. Thinner leather - less it depress down and make curve which round edge.
But this is not only problem - if leather fixed on block, it resist more if you move not perfect - which always happen. If leather is free to move a little, it will not resist to small variation in force or direction and so kind of buffer human hands little mistakes.
Some people for same reason hold both knife and sharpening stone in hands in the air. But if leather stretched (and hard leather impossible to stretch and it is not flexible), it is OK at least for me to do honing on the table - it is forgiveful enough.
Leather surface structure also important - if it has pores it absorb Green Rouge as sponge as well as steel dust, allows honing paste to hold and create honing surface. This is I noticed right away when I return to American Handmade Leather some time ago - continues honing surface does not happen on it - Green Rouge has nothing to grab on.
So this is all theory - I am trying to explain my practical experience. Which is simple, once I switch from "Special honing" leather to upholstery - results got much much better right away.
Then I stop learning - I have results and so far nobody did better. Many did same, but nobody better.
Thanks, Vassili.
