Experimenting is a good thing.

One thing I'd caution you against here is assuming that what happens on the bevel translates directly to the edge. It does give you some clues, but it's not definitive.

I'm also not sure that water "releases" the garnets. The matrix on the coticules I've used is pretty hard, and the only thing I've found to create a slurry is a slurry stone or using lots of pressure on the razor. I don't think normal light honing strokes release very many garnets, if any. It's not like a typical waterstone like the Norton, where the abrasive is constantly breaking free and refreshing.

Josh