Sure I've seen this happen in lapping some finer grit barber hones. Try this experiment and report back: Take a razor that you're not shaving with that may be in need of restoration, or even take a kitchen knife, some sort of non-serrated even edged piece of steel. Then do about 50 passes on the "fine" surface of that lapped stone. Does it start to get smooth and shiny again? My bet is that it does.
Russel is right, the grit is the grit and even though it feels rough, it should polish.
Barber hones were created in a mold of some kind then fired. The surfaces in contact with the mold after being fired are shiny. The grit inside is not. Three types of fine grit barber hones that I own that seem to be nice and shiny and smooooooooooth even after lapping are: 3 line Swaty, "Perfect" hone (with paper label reminiscent of an Escher) and to a lesser extent a Regent. I think I have a "Deep Cabothy" that stays shiny after lapping. The 5-10 others I've lapped or owned lost their luster after lapping but gained it back after running steel/razors across them.
Chris L
__________________
|