Just informational... after I use the wood/320 I go to 400/600/1000/1500 with hard rubber matting that you can purchase at a local hardware store. I believe it is used for no slip floors. It is ridged on one side but the flat surface on the back is what I use. And you are right mousepads are to soft IMHO causing a thikening of the edge. Using a firmer surface works well for convex because naturally you can't keep a perfect repeat on each stroke, although that should be the goal, so it WILL convex naturally. BTW I finish off with leather strop and Flexcut Gold or Green paste from Lee Valley. Im sure that some of the grits could be skipped, but I think the strop and paste is what has made the biggest difference in my edge quality.
