Originally Posted by
toolarts
When the bevels meet, there is a characteristic look to the edge. It is a field of random chipping that reminds me of one of those diamond encrusted ceramic tile saws. At the same power (I use 100X) I can recognize this field of random chipping caused by my 1200 grit DMT. It is random, but quite regular. It only occurs when the bevels have met.
When I switch to a 4000 grit stone, the same random chipping is visible, but the area is narrower and the chips are finer. But it is uniform.
When I switch to 8000 grit, it again looks the same but even smaller, with finer chips.
At each of these levels, if there is a particularly large chip, it is the same thing you would have detected with the TNT, as a place where the razor did not pull smoothly over the nail. If I see one of these, I fall back to the coarser stone for a few more strokes to get rid of it.
Using these patterns, I can do much better with my microscope than with any TNT.
When I finally get to the Barber Stone, like my polished Swaty, I can make a line at 100X with a break only once every few pans. That razor, once stropped, will wipe off whiskers and leave my face dry.