Thread: Looking for advice on razor purchase.

yes, coticule is the name of a (usually yellowto light brown) stone most often mined in ardennes belgium. it is an excellent finishing hone, but it is also quite decent for intermediate work when used with slurry. it doesn't need lapping often, it of course depends on how you use it, but i'd be surprised if you have less than some years between lappings. BTW lapping mean flattening - you rub it with a coarser abrasive media that is flat (another hone, special lapping plate, or sandpaper on a flat surface such as marble tile or glass) and it flattens it.

www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/home.php?cat=106

Look at these. They may not be shave ready but thats nothing a twenty won't fix. I have dealt with Jim at Vintage Blades and can vouch for a good experence. This may get you in for a little less money.

Don

mz,

Were I to start from scratch now, based on my having spent a fair amount of money on razors, strops, hones, pastes, stuff, etc, I'd buy: a honed DOVO 6/8 Special from Straight Razor Designs for $99, a starter (Apprentice?) strop from The Well Shaved Gentleman for $29 and change plus a 2 sided 10" x 3" paddle strop charged with 1 micron diamond and .5 micron chromium oxide. That will get you going and keep you going for months. At some point depending on how well you strop and how tough your beard is, you will need to touch up the edge of your razor on a hone. A coticule is what I have come to rely on (6" x 2" is a nice compromise), but a vintage, good quality barbers hone will also work, as will a host of manmade or other natural stones. For coticules, the Perfect Edge is where to go (get it lapped for a small extra charge).

I suspect a lot of the old timers who shaved with straight razors would bring them to a local barber for touch up and didn't need to own a hone. For us that is probably not an option as barbers can't use straight razors themselves and comply with health regulations, so the modern ones are likely to neither have hones nor know how to use them.

I've made paddle strops for myself with varying degrees of success (making leather from Tandy flat is an interesting excercise) and have come to like the effectiveness of the Thiers Issard strop paste which seems to be a bit more aggressive than 1 micron diamond, but works well for me.

Of course all this stuff comes from a variety of souces, so shipping costs will add up. Amortized over a lifetime of shaving, it's cheap, but start-up costs may put a kink in a beginning shavers often tight budget.

Best of luck and remember that all free advice is worth every penny spent on it.

good shaving,

Originally Posted by gugi

yes, coticule is the name of a (usually yellowto light brown) stone most often mined in ardennes belgium. it is an excellent finishing hone, but it is also quite decent for intermediate work when used with slurry. it doesn't need lapping often, it of course depends on how you use it, but i'd be surprised if you have less than some years between lappings. BTW lapping mean flattening - you rub it with a coarser abrasive media that is flat (another hone, special lapping plate, or sandpaper on a flat surface such as marble tile or glass) and it flattens it.

I know that in Lynn's DVD (I GOT IT YESTERDAY!!!) He talks about the coticule as a finishing stone and makes a slurry. I was not aware that people used a coticule without one. Is that normal practice? Would I want to use it with just a layer or water to touch up because a slurry would be too aggressive?

Thank you everyone!!

Originally Posted by xman

Make sure you fork out for a high quality coticule. The substandard ones with blue grain through will actually dull your edge.

X

Are you talking about this stone?

Natural Polishing Water Stone - Woodcraft.com

Ive seen it recommended elsewhere on the site
Apologies for the mziter Im a newb like yourself! Best of luck starting out!

Originally Posted by Bones

Are you talking about this stone?

Natural Polishing Water Stone - Woodcraft.com

Ive seen it recommended elsewhere on the site
Apologies for the mziter Im a newb like yourself! Best of luck starting out!

No, I'm pretty sure that's not what X meant. The one you're linking to at woodcraft is the 'chinese' stone.
X, I believe is talking about the lower grade coticules. Purchasing a coticule from Howard or from a respected member in the Classifieds should ensure you get a good coticule.
Also, the blue belgian stones are not called coticule. They have larger sized garnets and are rather nice intermediate stones, and I actually like the finish off them, esp. on sheffield steel.