I haven't gotten around to making a nice board with slots for each hone, and for some reason this setup wasn't obvious to me so I thought I'd share. Front is against a bench dog, back is pressed against the rubber foot of the edge of the bench. It is easy to swap in the different hones, and doesn't scoot around.
(Still figuring out how to put a burr on that card scraper though.)
Interesting about texture, I wasn't sure if I wanted smooth or textured, I thought it was just about pressure not drawing the material out. I have been careful to get a nice clean/square edge before starting though.
The other thing I've been uncertain about is how big the burr should be — just big enough to feel, enough to really hold into a thumbnail? Or does it work either way?
I like the diamond hones. I got Atoma diamond plates from the Burrfection store. I had been using water stones before, and these are much less messy and durable. They do go a bit faster but I feel like I can just take care not to take off too much material. And when I do hit a nail with my brand new plane (sob), at least I work down to fresh iron somewhat quickly.