Coticule Ebay gamble!

[Iceni]

Saw a bad listing earlier this week. The seller had failed to separate sharpening and honing in the tags. So they listed it as Belgian Coticule sharpening/honing stone. Because of this the item wasn't appearing on searches for sharpening stone or hone, I did several searches to make sure it was a dead listing in that regard.

Waited for 15 seconds left, £75 bid, won it for the listing price of £50. No other bidders. Earlier today a similar stone slightly longer and thinner, with a serious crack sold for double this with 20 bidders. Granted the rock also was 90% coticule on the thinnest backing you have ever seen. Even so the poor listing definitely cost the seller as the other auction flew from £41- £103 in the last 10 seconds of the auction (I might have had £70 on it as well).

Looks to be 7x2x1 natural La Veinette. With a secondary BBW backing. Should arrive Friday but I think I got a good deal here. Will know more once it appears and I can get some decent pictures! The listing has quite a few potato phone pics!The seller says there is some pattern but you can't see any on the images, So I won't know what it actually is till it lands.

It'll be my second coticule, my first BBW, and my first natural combo if I decide to try split it. I might not bother to even attempt a split as it looks to be well bonded. It'll go nicely into the hone collection!

[Steel]

Congrats! Well played and a great score!

[Iceni]

Thanks The wife thinks I have lost the plot. I was apparently stalking this one, I use her ebay and she gets all my updates to her phone. I think the fact I made her set an alarm for 10 minutes before it ended, then sat and watched it tick down only added to her amusement.

[Ernie1980]

Nice pickup! I love to browse eBay, it drives my wife bonkers too

[ScoutHikerDad]

Excellent catch on a beautiful stone-please don't try to split it!

[Iceni]

I'll wait till it appears and do some pictures. Then do a hone test before I even think about messing with it.

It's a big old chunk of rock to be messing with, and I don't think I'll get another natural combo with such a bad listing for a while.

The most amusing part of the whole thing is the seller offered international shipping as well! Just not to anywhere normal.


Postage to: United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Chile
Excludes: Africa, Asia, Central America and Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, North America, Oceania, South East Asia, South America, PO Box


Why you would offer postage to Chile and the Ukraine, but not Europe and North America is a total mind bender!

Original listing.

Belgian Coticule sharpening/honing stone | eBay

[Blamo]

I am interested to see what you think when you get it. Am I the only one trying to figure out why someone would glue a BBW stone over a natural combo? I bet if you were to split it, you would find a major flaw on the natural BBW. Regardless, you scored a good deal.

[Iceni]

It will have been a standard thickness that's all. La Veinette only comes in those 2 thin layers. So it's pretty common to see them glued to a slate or BBW.

If it's a vintage, and it probably is. Then they sold stone from catalogue. So If you stated it was a 7x2x1 then that is what you supplied. It would also make it fit any original packaging correctly to prevent damage in transit. Cardboard sleeves and boxes, Then into a measured shipping container with a set number of stones. If the stones fit nice and snug with minimal shimming then you get less transit failure.

Maurice still does this now. Stones are cut to fit his boxes. And the slate is used to make the stones fit in to a tolerance of thickness so as to make his boxes offer the best transit protection. And so when the stone is sat on the base side and open just a touch of slate is showing so you can use the box, and get full use out of the stone.

It's quite a beautiful thing when you open a new stone in box from Ardennes Coticule. The stone is in a plain white paper wrap and fits perfectly. The box is providing absolute protection, You would have to smash the box to break the rock inside. Getting the stone out for the first time feels like you are opening something really special.

[Iceni]

Right It's just arrived! In once piece!

Stone came boxed in what looks to be a pine. Not mentioned in the auction at all. It's age darkened but very clean. It has space for a slurry stone but no slurry stone present. I'll contact ardennes and have one made to fit. The box is pretty large giving at least 1/2 inch all the way round in wood. The stone is well fitted to the interior. While the construction of the box isn't craftsman grade it show the original owner though highly enough of the rock to protect it well.

Dimensions 10 x 3-3/4 x 2

The stone itself. Oh wow. She's nice. The BBW has lots of sparkle, And is the dark purple/blue type. Good pattern, not obvious inclusions. Glue looks to be resin. It doesn't have any smell or flavour but I think it'll be the softens with heat type. There are a few drops of resin on the underside of the Rock on the BBW that suggest that side has never been lapped or used from new.

Coticule side has some very small manganese spots, but is mostly a solid blemish free surface. It feels to be a harder layer, with very uniform grit. The tongue test proved very smooth. It has a small low spot in the middle so I need to lap it before I can test it.

Dimensions of stone, 185 x 48 x 25mm ( 7-5/16 x 1-7/8 x 1).

Pictures will follow but it might take me a day or two to get them up.

[Iceni]

So here are the pictures, I also got chance to hone a few razors on it. Seems to be exactly what is expected for La veinette. It's fast on slurry, Slow on pure water. The stone takes a slight glaize but doesn't burnish like my other coticule.

The edge was very nice. I took a Bismark 6/8 1930's model, Built a light slurry with a 600 grit diamond plate, Then honed through dilution. 30 Mins of honing I didn't count reps. At the final stages this hone gets really sticky. I think did 150 ish laps on vegtan. Shave was very good. 3x ATG passes, no WTG or XTG on 10 days of growth with Penhaligon's Sartorial puck. Some warmth on the splash Myrsol K, but I think I'll get more out of the rock in the smooth department with a few months of playing.

Very very pleased I saw this auction.