Thread: Apache Black Gila

Originally Posted by kcb5150

I just bought one last night, actually. Not a deep rock, just an old coti. You shouldn't have a hard time moving that, they have a great form factor. Is it not that fine and slow on top of it? That would be a drag.

It's not slow, it's fast and fairly hard. Very fast on slurry. I don't know who likes that kind of thing.

I should sell it before I drop it. I got it in trade from a friend, and it's a beautiful looking stone.

Fast ones are really nice after the 1k. I usually go to a rouge du salm after 1k leading into a coti, kind of the same idea. A lot of really hard ones can be wanting on the feedback front. You should have no trouble finding someone to sell or trade a deep rock to. 5"x2.5" cotis are really popular in general right now.

Originally Posted by DaveW

It's not slow, it's fast and fairly hard. Very fast on slurry. I don't know who likes that kind of thing.

I should sell it before I drop it. I got it in trade from a friend, and it's a beautiful looking stone.

What have you tried with yours? I have one that is fairly hard but very very fast and I get great edges with it with the right razor. (The steel needs to be on the harder end of the range).

Originally Posted by eKretz

What have you tried with yours? I have one that is fairly hard but very very fast and I get great edges with it with the right razor. (The steel needs to be on the harder end of the range).

I've tried a few german razors (nothing notably hard, just middle of the road vintage stuff that's sold NOS on ebay). I keep the stone for now because it's pretty, but list it off and on in case there is a collector interested in it. I think most people are looking for fine stones when they buy things, and they equate a branded/labeled stone, but it's not the case on this one.

Your tip about hard, though, is probably where it would find its niche - on a razor hard enough to resist its cutting depth a little bit.

If it didn't have the label on it, I'd say try finishing with it under a running tap and doing your laps so that the razor is going up a slight incline each time. The coti will behave finer than it is.

Originally Posted by kcb5150

If it didn't have the label on it, I'd say try finishing with it under a running tap and doing your laps so that the razor is going up a slight incline each time. The coti will behave finer than it is.

It had the label on it at one time, but the label came off (thankfully in one piece) after using it only twice (but I probably let it sit on the wet label one of those times). Fortunately, there's a big imprint on the back where (evidence, I guess). I'll keep your tips in mind the next time I get a microchipper. I had 5 cotis at one point, and this is the last one, but the linen has nearly eliminated honing for me (that and the fact that I've stopped buying razors...I hope I don't jinx myself saying that).

My coti arrived the other day. One of the oddest ones I have ever encountered. It feels like you are honing on a la veinette with sand chucked on top of it but it behaves slow and relatively fine. It feels like you are destroying the edge as you are going though. You can even feel texture under your fingertips as you run across the surface, but none of it does anything really. I don't get it, it feels like it should be toxic

You could also put like a pea of dish soap for your final laps. Just give the blade a bit of a cushion from the abrasives

Originally Posted by kcb5150

My coti arrived the other day. One of the oddest ones I have ever encountered. It feels like you are honing on a la veinette with sand chucked on top of it but it behaves slow and relatively fine. It feels like you are destroying the edge as you are going though. You can even feel texture under your fingertips as you run across the surface, but none of it does anything really. I don't get it, it feels like it should be toxic

First coticule I ever used was one that someone got from a flea market. It was exactly like that. Crunchy like a sandstone, but no edge damage. It wasn't as pretty as that stone, either.

I was surprised that the rest were never quite like that. This one I have was coarse and uniform to start. It holds its particles, and it's just behind so many other stones that I have that are point and shoot that it's not worth much trouble other than to make sure it doesn't take on physical damage before I get it sold. My real concern about suggesting that it will get finer is that someone will get it and lap it and it'll go right back to where it was.

I think if someone uses it as a barber hone, they'd be fine. Not many people hone like that these days, though (keeping the bevel geometry with the hone, but never actually removing the edge).

Btw, on the original subject, I've tried a few blades since lapping it. It needs more steel dragged across it. It's like 80-85% of where it was before I lapped. I suppose it is to be expected as I didn't force the issue on absolute fineness like cris did with the diamonds. Each one is getting better though.