Thread: Bevelsetting on a Coticule.

Originally Posted by Dups

Hey Bart,

What did you use after that 4th picture? Belgian blue with slurry followed by the coticule with plain water?

thanks for the awesome information! I CAN'T wait for my stone to come in! Hopefully tomorrow!

First rinsed the Coticule, raised a bit of fresh slurry, and did 100 extra laps, diluting the slurry with a few drops of water every 10 laps, till washed down completely. Going a bit slower, aiming for the best strokes with the lightest pressure.

Next probing the edge with TPT and HHT. (good TPT, HHT pops only very close to the holding point.) Contemplating for a while whether I'd go test shaving or not. Sometimes this is all it takes to get a great edge. Stropped the edge 60 laps on leather. Probed with the HHT again (Now popping hairs, but not too great). Decided that it wasn't there yet. 10 laps on Naniwa Chosera 5K. About 30 laps on Naniwa Chosera 10K, performing a TPT every 10 laps. Not entirely pleased. 15 more on the Naniwa Chosera 5K. 20 laps on Naniwa Chosera 10K, again checking every 10 laps. HHT now at about same level as the stropped edge earlier in the progression. 30 laps on a very hard, glassy Coticule. I could have used the same one as I used for the bevel stage, but I have to keep them all happy I guess.... Stropped 60 laps on clean leather. HHT performs swiftly now, hair is more falling than "popping". Test shaved. Great results, well within limits.

Bart.

Originally Posted by Bart

First rinsed the Coticule, raised a bit of fresh slurry, and did 100 extra laps, diluting the slurry with a few drops of water every 10 laps, till washed down completely. Going a bit slower, aiming for the best strokes with the lightest pressure.

Next probing the edge with TPT and HHT. (good TPT, HHT pops only very close to the holding point.) Contemplating for a while whether I'd go test shaving or not. Sometimes this is all it takes to get a great edge. Stropped the edge 60 laps on leather. Probed with the HHT again (Now popping hairs, but not too great). Decided that it wasn't there yet. 10 laps on Naniwa Chosera 5K. About 30 laps on Naniwa Chosera 10K, performing a TPT every 10 laps. Not entirely pleased. 15 more on the Naniwa Chosera 5K. 20 laps on Naniwa Chosera 10K, again checking every 10 laps. HHT now at about same level as the stropped edge earlier in the progression. 30 laps on a very hard, glassy Coticule. I could have used the same one as I used for the bevel stage, but I have to keep them all happy I guess.... Stropped 60 laps on clean leather. HHT performs swiftly now, hair is more falling than "popping". Test shaved. Great results, well within limits.

Bart.

Ummmm....

Why do I have a BBW?

Originally Posted by JimR

Ummmm....

Why do I have a BBW?

Is that a rhetorical question?

Because you can do 70-100 laps on a real light slurry, finish with the same amount on a Coticule with only water, and get a great shaving edge.
What's in my previous post, using the Chosera 5K and 10K, aims at a bit more final keenness. I offer honing services, so I'm trying to make a slight difference.
I know several guys that happily shave off the Blue/slurry - Coticule/water progression. I often do so myself. It's just that, when honing for others, I feel the Naniwas give me a larger landing zone, because the 10K leaves sharpness to spare.
On a side note: ever since I arrived at SRP, I feel there is an increasing demand for more sharpness. I'm not sure that's always a desirable course, and I usually aim for the edge that discerns best between whiskers and skin. For me personally, that might very well be the BBW honed edge. But for sending out commissioned razors, I like to err on the keener side. I have the same dilemma in my capacity of recording engineer/producer: I prefer the organic sound of old jazz recordings, but mostly I have to deliver more "radio-friendly" work than that.
Dups asked how I finished the job on that razor. Please don't read that as a rejection of the BBW.

Let me guess... It was a rhetorical question, right?

Bart.

Thanks Bart,

That level of perfection in an edge, I'm afraid is never ending puruit.

I have used both the blue and coticule and have never had any consistent success with either except for the Coticule with a light slurry and a coticule with just water. What did you use to build the level of thickness in your slurry depicted and can you show the razor that generated the dark slurry after the 20 minutes.

This has been a really good thread.

Thanks,

Lynn

Great post, Bart. Thanks. I'd really like to see a closeup shot of the edge after bevel setting or finish honing. I have a very soft vintage coticule that easily creates slurry and shows swarf very quickly (it's a fast cutter). I realize you're saying the most any coticule can be used for setting bevels. But your post gives me motivation to use the soft coticule for a "start to finish" honing session.


Thanks!

Chris L

So if I get this right...with a lot of patience one could eventually hone a razor from scratch using nothing but a coticule. Starting with heavy slurry followed by some more slurry slowly diluted with water only?

Originally Posted by Dups

So if I get this right...with a lot of patience one could eventually hone a razor from scratch using nothing but a coticule. Starting with heavy slurry followed by some more slurry slowly diluted with water only?

I don't have the experience that Bart has, or the stone collection like some do, but I have owned and used in the neighborhood of 10 coticules making up what I would consider the "soft, medium and hard" varieties. I have a very hard 8"x3" natural combo. You could do hundreds and hundreds of passes with water on that stone and after letting the stone dry you would not find ANY dry slurry powder on the stone or on the finger after wiping the dry stone's surface. It creates no slurry on its own. Of course you can use a coticule slurry stone or a diamond plate to make slurry on it. Unless I came up with some very aggressive and drastic measures, I could not get a thick milky slurry on that particular stone like Bart's coticule exhibits here. The one I speak of is a great finishing stone, but would be very difficult to use from start to finish.

That said, I own 4 or 5 coticules that would with a little work create great slurry and could be used as Bart has here.

Chris L

I'm expecting a 6 x 1.5 combination stone with combination slurry stone. I can't wait to see how it performs!

Great post great video. I took another try at bevel setting with one of my coticules last night with this Wester Bros with a chipped up edge. I gave in after a short 200 laps (I know, I am a wimp) and went to the diamond plate.

My question is , after watching your light touch on the hone is it safe to assume you use considerably more pressure in setting the bevel on the coticule and that the video showed the finishing rather then the bevel setting stroke ?

Originally Posted by Chris L

I don't have the experience that Bart has, or the stone collection like some do, but I have owned and used in the neighborhood of 10 coticules making up what I would consider the "soft, medium and hard" varieties. I have a very hard 8"x3" natural combo. You could do hundreds and hundreds of passes with water on that stone and after letting the stone dry you would not find ANY dry slurry powder on the stone or on the finger after wiping the dry stone's surface. It creates no slurry on its own. Of course you can use a coticule slurry stone or a diamond plate to make slurry on it. Unless I came up with some very aggressive and drastic measures, I could not get a thick milky slurry on that particular stone like Bart's coticule exhibits here. The one I speak of is a great finishing stone, but would be very difficult to use from start to finish.

That said, I own 4 or 5 coticules that would with a little work create great slurry and could be used as Bart has here.

Chris L

I think there are a few stones out there that you can sit down with and do a lot on a given razor with an unlimited amount of time. I always look at what stones can I sit down with every day with 10-20 razors and walk away with consistently honed edges that will produce a very nice shave. When I know that these stones will produce these results on everything from a restore to a refresh, then I look know they will work for an every day honing if someone just has a couple of razors.

Now I am gonna go have to play and see if I can do this with an Escher and a Nakayama...........

Lynn