Thread: ONE COTICULE HONING

I'm pretty new to honing-- I have a DA practice razor and two others. For the past few weeks I had been working on Bart's Coticlue+Slurry, BBW+Slurry, Coticlue+Water method (from the wiki). I got to the point on the DA where I got a pretty decent edge, and attempted it on my "real" shaver, with pretty good results. Did not get past HHT, but TPT was pretty good, and the shaves have been smooth.

Tried the new method with the DA practice razor just now, for the first time ever I got a result on the HHT (not a clean cut, but caught and popped it in a few spots). Have not shaved with it yet, but I'll check it out tomorrow.

I'm thinking about using the BBW + Slurry for the initial honing right after adding tape (I know this is defeating the purpose of using 1 stone), as I'm not all that certain how much is "enough" slurry with the coticule to initially set the secondary bevel. My experience level is too low for me to figure out if BBW+Slurry vs. Coticlue + Light Slurry after taping makes any difference-- Bart, I'd love it if you would try it to see if it helps, hurts, or makes no difference.

-Chief

Hey Bart,

just finished shaving with the Dovo #41. Got a pretty nice shave! I might still do a few more passes on the coticule with water alone but overall got a really smooth shave. It sort of fell like the razor was a bit less sharp than usual but that seems to be a good thing. I usually always do a few passes on a paddle strop with cr0 but decided to go all the way natural this time. I didn't even feel the burn when I applied my alcohol based splash after my shave. It usually stings like crazy but not this time. What about future touch up on the blade using this technique? Now what am I supposed to do with the blue side of of my stone! :P

Originally Posted by BHChieftain

I'm pretty new to honing-- I have a DA practice razor and two others. For the past few weeks I had been working on Bart's Coticlue+Slurry, BBW+Slurry, Coticlue+Water method (from the wiki). I got to the point on the DA where I got a pretty decent edge, and attempted it on my "real" shaver, with pretty good results. Did not get past HHT, but TPT was pretty good, and the shaves have been smooth.

Tried the new method with the DA practice razor just now, for the first time ever I got a result on the HHT (not a clean cut, but caught and popped it in a few spots). Have not shaved with it yet, but I'll check it out tomorrow.

I'm thinking about using the BBW + Slurry for the initial honing right after adding tape (I know this is defeating the purpose of using 1 stone), as I'm not all that certain how much is "enough" slurry with the coticule to initially set the secondary bevel. My experience level is too low for me to figure out if BBW+Slurry vs. Coticlue + Light Slurry after taping makes any difference-- Bart, I'd love it if you would try it to see if it helps, hurts, or makes no difference.

I doubt many people would like to hear it, but at the moment, I'm getting keener edges of this method, than I ever got of the progression I described in the wiki, although that progression certainly delivers edges that can easily qualify as "shaveready". By the way, the progression in the wiki is explained by me as I have learned it from Josh Earl and David Polan (Heavydutysg135), two very knowledgeable guys that used to be very active on SRP.

You could use the Blue to conduct step 5, but I don't think it would make a big change, since the Coticule with water from step 6 will further refine the sharpness, acting on the narrow secondary bevel.

Originally Posted by Dups

Hey Bart,

just finished shaving with the Dovo #41. Got a pretty nice shave! I might still do a few more passes on the coticule with water alone but overall got a really smooth shave. It sort of fell like the razor was a bit less sharp than usual but that seems to be a good thing. I usually always do a few passes on a paddle strop with cr0 but decided to go all the way natural this time. I didn't even feel the burn when I applied my alcohol based splash after my shave. It usually stings like crazy but not this time. What about future touch up on the blade using this technique? Now what am I supposed to do with the blue side of of my stone! :P

Touching up is done on a Coticule with water, with the tape reattached. There's more information about it burried several posts back into this thread.

Best regards,
Bart.

Originally Posted by BHChieftain

I'm pretty new to honing-- I have a DA practice razor and two others. For the past few weeks I had been working on Bart's Coticlue+Slurry, BBW+Slurry, Coticlue+Water method (from the wiki). I got to the point on the DA where I got a pretty decent edge, and attempted it on my "real" shaver, with pretty good results. Did not get past HHT, but TPT was pretty good, and the shaves have been smooth.

Tried the new method with the DA practice razor just now, for the first time ever I got a result on the HHT (not a clean cut, but caught and popped it in a few spots). Have not shaved with it yet, but I'll check it out tomorrow.

I'm thinking about using the BBW + Slurry for the initial honing right after adding tape (I know this is defeating the purpose of using 1 stone), as I'm not all that certain how much is "enough" slurry with the coticule to initially set the secondary bevel. My experience level is too low for me to figure out if BBW+Slurry vs. Coticlue + Light Slurry after taping makes any difference-- Bart, I'd love it if you would try it to see if it helps, hurts, or makes no difference.

-Chief

Just honed my Wacker 1/4 hollow razor with this method. Tried coticle + light slurry after the tape, didn't get arm hairs to pop, so moved to BBW + slurry. But maybe just more time with coticle + light slurry would have gotten me there-- I'll try that next time (note, my coticule is pretty hard--I can't scratch it with my fingernail, and it takes a while to get the slurry to turn grey). But, after the coticule + water and the strop, got a really nice HHT response for most of the blade (toe isn't responding-- my pressure must not be even). By far the best hone I've done so far.

-Chief

Hey Bart,

When you do your x stroke passes to set the bevel do you lift the razor or is it still touching the stone when you move back. It almost looks like you're backhoning every time?

Originally Posted by Dups

Hey Bart,

When you do your x stroke passes to set the bevel do you lift the razor or is it still touching the stone when you move back. It almost looks like you're backhoning every time?

The strokes I perform in step 3 are without flipping the blade. I don't lift the razor off the hone. It's just diagonally rubbing back and forth, really. So technically you're correct: half of the strokes are backhoning strokes. Once the razor shows any response to the shave arm hair test, I go to step 4, which uses regular X-strokes, light pressure and no backhoning.

I'm sorry you can't see the slurry consistency any better, due to my poor video gear.
It really just looks like there's milk on the hone. Coffee cream consistency I consider too thick.
Some steps use "misty" slurry, as Gary puts it. That's about double as watery as the milky slurry.
It does not matter all that much, for this method. All you need is a steady X-stroke.

Bart.

I tried the "one coticule" honing method, but didn't seem to be making progress. Specifically, I was hung up on stage 1. Here's Bart's response to what I thought might be a keenness problem...

Originally Posted by Bart

When it comes to shaving arm hair of a Coticule with slurry, it depends largely on the particular stone, how well the edge performs at shaving arm hair.

As soon as the razor shows any responsiveness to the shave arm hair test, you're nearly finished on the slurry. You can try about 20 light laps with the X-stroke and see if that improves the test results. If not, it's fine. It just means that you hit the maximum level you're going to get off the slurry. I have several Coticules that will only barely shave arm hair at that level. The only important thing is, that you make sure that the entire edge (toe - middle -heel) has reached that level.

At that moment, it's time to proceed to the next stage. In my "one Coticule method" that would be attaching the layer of tape.

Okay, so back to the stones I'll go, and see if I get further in the next round.

Hey Bart,

got a question for you. I was watching an old coticule video from LX_Emergency and I was curious if you knew what kind of slurry stone he might be using..It doesn't look like a coticule at all.

Originally Posted by Dups

Hey Bart,

got a question for you. I was watching an old coticule video from LX_Emergency and I was curious if you knew what kind of slurry stone he might be using..It doesn't look like a coticule at all.

Why dont you ask Alex yourself?

hehe Well he's not on the forum right now and I figured that Bart probably knew what he was using.

This whole coticule thing is getting more and more interesting! I'm even considering getting another coticule :P