Marker will not tell you when the bevel is set. It can tell you if you are honing all the way to the edge.

The problem with most novice honers is they can produce a flat bevel but that flat bevel does not reach the edge, the bevel is not set.

The only way to verify if the bevels are meeting at the edge, is to test the edge, TPT (this takes time to learn) Hair test, not a valid test because it does not test the whole bevel and everyone’s hair is different. Look at the edge, not the bevel. This is the easiest, non-destructive, most conclusive test.

Just look at the edge, straight down with magnification and light. If you see any shiny spots on the edge the bevels are not meeting completely, the bevel is not set.

If the bevels are not meeting, paint the bevel at the edge by running a marker on the edge from heel to toe (ink will also paint a 1/16 of an inch on both sides of the bevel.

Hone and ensure the hone is reaching the edge by looking to see if all ink is removed. Continue until no shinny spots are visible on the edge.
Once no shinny spots are visible, do 10 more weight of blade laps to begin polishing the bevel.

Now as you move up in progression, you can paint the bevel with ink. Ink will fill the bottom of the stria groove as well as the top of the land. When the ink is removed, the previous grit’s stria has been removed and the honer can progress to the next higher grit stone.

The trick is to ensure the bevel is set, (bevels are meeting… completely) at the edge.

You cannot tell if the bevels are meeting by looking at the bevels, you must look or feel the edge.