david charlesworth
It seems to me that David's polishing technique may be somewhat similar to the Feathering technique discussed on page 156 of Toshio Odate's book

"Japanese Woodworking Tools their Tradition Spirit and Use."

I will summarize. When working timbers high in silica, shokunin use the feathering technique when their plane blades chip. Dubbing over the edge makes the blade less sensitive , and so less prone to chipping, but you should do this only when you have to.

The picture shows a plane blade, bevel down being moved backwards. It starts at about 30 degrees and rises to about 60 degrees. The text says two or three times.