So it sounds like the finish needs to be pretty clean before moving to the natural finger stones? In other words, they do not help to clean up any scratches, say from a 1k or 2k synthetic?
Working with sandpaper previously, I am aware of how much time it takes to get to mirror (I've not yet made it there), and I'm not planning on spending that kind of time on future knives. But I am interested in possibly dipping my toes into the world of J-nats based on some of the really awesome photos that members on here have posted. For right now though, I dont have a ton of time to invest, just want to make my daily drivers look a bit nicer. A refresh of the kasumi would be super.
As a loose comparison, I spent probably 15hours full detailing my Honda CRV to get it to a condition that makes me happy. But in no way do I think I'll be winning any auto show awards. I can spend some time, but ultimately, my knives are going to get used.