Hey Rib, not a bad idea to do the same experiment! This is all so finicky that I wouldn’t want to draw any strong conclusions from a single experiment.
The idea of a conversion factor from stropping compounds grits to stone grits sounds good, but I am afraid it is going to be difficult to realize.
First, some strops do more than simple abrade the edge of a knife. Due to their stiction they may also burnish it, i.e. smear out metal over a larger area.
Second, no two stropping compounds seem to be made the same. Some contain diamands, whereas others contain a less aggressive abrasive, like aluminium oxide. And even when they do contain diamonds, the concentration of these diamonds may vary largely. Or the specifications of the particle sizes may be incorrect. Ken has dome some extensive blog posts on this.
And even if the specs are the same and correct, the stropping pastes may work differently. I am just in the process of testing another one and boy, they continue to surprise me :).
An idea I have played with myself is not so much a “conversion factorâ€, but an abrasion comparison chart. This would be much like the grits comparison chart. However, it should better take into account the abrasion the various stones, strops and stropping compounds cause. After all, it is their effect on the edge we are doing all this sharpening work for, not the various diamonds, oxides, carbides or whatever are in the stones/strops/compounds.
However, I don’t know yet how to do this :). So if you’ve got any ideas…
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