Originally Posted by
Utopian
I work in science too, but I consider my goal to be simplification. I choose not to complicate things for people who don't have the same level of understanding. A razor, a hone, and a postal or kitchen scale are the tools readily available to most people, so pressure measurements probably should not be complicated beyond their use.
Let's imagine the bevel setting (heavy) pressure is 5 lbs, sharpening (light) pressure is 1 lb, and no (weight of the blade) pressure is just a couple ounces. Then all a beginner needs is a thumb and a scale to get a sense of the appropriate pressures at each step.
That said, if you can come up with something more elaborate that can better help beginners, I'm all for it.