Thread: Which Colicule could be used as a bevel setter?

I hand one,maybe two, coticules that I would use to set bevels. And that would only be on a hollow ground razor. I'd never try it on a near wedge. You'd be there for days on even the fastest coticules.

Id go with a chosera. But if you are set on a coticule a hybrid Les Lat, La Dresssante, or La Veinette would be good options. Manganese lines normally relate to a fast stone but they are natural stones so results will vary.

I have a La Veinette that is very fast on slurry but is a super fine finisher on water. But out of the 100 or so coticules I have owned I have only had 2 that act like this.

Get a Chosera and a coticule and that will be all you need.

Honestly I'd use the edge of the Chosera. But if you want a natural bevel setter, I'd ask Alex Gilmore at thejapanstone.com to cut me a 1" wide piece of fast suita and I'd use a diamond plate to slurry it to get dense slurry. A fast piece of suita slurried this way is capable of setting a bevel even though it's pretty fine, probably about 4k synth equivalent. An alternative might be getting Dan's to cut you a 1" wide fast piece of Washita/soft Arkansas.

Cheers, Steve

What I am getting from this thread is "don't use naturals/Coticules for bevel setting". Use synthetics.

Is that about right?

It was just a thought........

I think what you're getting is that in the typical grit range for bevel setters, synthetics are easier, faster, and cheaper. You can set a bevel with a coticule and heavy slurry, but it might well take you 5 times as long. Why bother unless you just want to? A suita will work (I know someone who uses one at least sometimes for bevel setting) and be faster than a coticule. And cost more than the Chosera. A Washita will work, but be slower than the synth. I don't know about a custom cut, probably not too bad for an Ark.

Cheers, Steve

O.K., dta116 made me dig out a small Okuda suita and put it to the test as a bevel setter. The razor is an old Joseph Rodgers hollow that is a failed eBay purchase, well-worn but still shaves really well.

The razor was dulled on glass and tested via the cherry tomato to confirm the bevel was not set. The edge was dull. I raised a good slurry on the stone with the diamond plate, gave it two sets of twenty circles followed by 40 x-strokes. If the bevel isn't set, it's 95%+, again verified by the cherry tomato test. You can see the darkness in the slurry, which started out very pale.

So yes, a fast suita should do you fine as a bevel setter.

Cheers, Steve

Thanks Steve, that should work......

Dave

Originally Posted by dta116

What I am getting from this thread is "don't use naturals/Coticules for bevel setting". Use synthetics.

Is that about right?

It was just a thought........

That is the best way to go IME. After trying many of the 'usual suspects' I found the rumors that the Chosera 1k was hard to beat as a bevel setter were true. I have had quite a few coticules and only one was half decent as a bevel setter. It wasn't real good as a finisher. So, as the old saying goes, 'you pays your money and you takes your chances.'

With naturals as bevel setters it is more of a gamble that you'll find the characteristics you're looking for, unless you buy one from a trusted source who tells you the straight scoop on it. With a synthetic such as the Chosera there is no hit or miss, you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. I can appreciate the desire to do it all with naturals. I've 'been there and done that', but nowadays I prefer expediency to nostalgia.

I regularly use a coticule of one of the faster layers for bevel setting (Les Latneuses, La Petite Blanche, La Veinette come to mind).
It works perfectly.

However, when there is a lot of work to do I switch to a DMT. I haven't tried a stone faster than a diamond hone.

Ive set bevels many times on any coticule I've had/have. Wet the slurry stone not the hone. Raise slurry keep going no water till you get a creamy paste. Tape spine add a drop of water and a bit more pressure. Do not dilute but do not let dry out. Takes a little longer but have never had a problem bevel setting a dull edge on a coticule. from there on I remove the tape.

best would be to get a coticule that self slurrys alot. a friend of mine has one. works great and is pretty fast on bevel setting.