Carving fern veins into hard maple tonight, my 1.5 mm Pfeil V sings for a dozen cuts then the bite goes dull, even after a green-compound horsehide strop. Anyone getting longer, crisper lines from M2/PM‑V11 micro gouges or a diamond paste strop, or should I bump the micro-bevel from 30° to 33° to keep the edge alive in dense grain?
On hard maple I get longer life by adding a tiny 33° micro‑bevel just at the very edge and switching my strop to 1 µm diamond on hard balsa; my “1.5 mm Pfeil V” jumps from about 12 cuts to several dozen, though it takes a bit more push. Have you tried diamond yet, or want the paste brand I use?
Leather rounds tiny Vs; your ‘green-compound horsehide strop’ hurts. Try MDF + 0.5 µm diamond, and slip the keel?