Method to test stone's finish?
Is there some method to test stones against one another to determine which will finish smoother?
The obvious answer is to hone and shave with them both but is there a more direct less subjective method to limit the variables which doesn't involve electron microscopy? My honing skills haven't developed well enough to be eliminated as a variable.
I would like to determine if my HSB & CO OVB is adequate as a finisher. I have a Norton 8k and sometimes I will finish with a few strops on a crox paddle.
They are really in the end, a tool
@vasilis
You can try all sorts of Tests
From the scratch patterns to the tongue..
But in the end Razors are still just a tool...
If I sharpen a knife regardless of what stone I use or what tests I use as I am sharpening, sooner or later I am going to do what the knife is designed for, either cutting Tomatoes or gutting out an Elk it in the end has to do it's job...
A straight razor is the same thing the only difference is it has to be not only sharp but also smooth so regardless of any tests I do sooner or later that thing has to shave my face comfortably... It has to accomplsh the job it was designed for...
As to the other part of the question on the lower grits most all the tests work even just feeling the stone in comparison to other known grits.. The touch tests for stone work pretty well up to about the 6-7k levels then they seem to fall apart... Mostly because we can't discern the differences by touch tests..
The more stones you handle the better you can tell the difference at the lower levels,,,
Keep in mind though grit is only part of the equation how it is held and released from the binder also plays a part :(