Thread: coticule help

Make sure it actually is BBW. Many coticules (most) have a slate glued backing to support the coti side, which is much softer than BBW and could crack without support.

this one has a slight purple ish color. Is that a BBW?

First look for a straight line between things. Natural combo stones are not perfect on average. Then you will know if they are glued and see what the bottom is for sure.

Originally Posted by tintin

thanks for the good info fellas! Does lubrication of different types sort of hold the edge away from the stone so that it's touching it lightly thus giving it a finer effect?

Just use water only. You do not need to have water running.
If the shave is ok then maybe try oil on it. I use ALL mine with water

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

This is another great point.
Some razors hate Coticules!! This is true for different stones and razors.
I have several razors that just do not take a coti edge and some that take their best edge from that same stone.
I have said many times, if you find a razor that takes a great edge from any honing medium keep it as a tester to get a true reading of what a stone has to offer.
Sometimes a person will get a stone try it on a razor and when it doesnt take a great edge from it they think its the stone - it may not be.

In general I find that Sheffield steel takes its best edge from a coticule. I have a natural combo and I hone on both sides back and forth ending on the BBW side for some razors but for Sheffield steel, particularly the W&B FBUs I use just the coti side.

Edit: one other thing, try slurrying it with another coti. That may help improve the surface.

Originally Posted by 32t

First look for a straight line between things. Natural combo stones are not perfect on average. Then you will know if they are glued and see what the bottom is for sure.

My line is straight. Didn't they glue BBW to coti's?

The razor you are honing makes a big difference

I use my coti almost exclusively on Sheffield razors,, Most Cotis will produce a comfortable shaving edge on any razor...
However the edge that people brag about is produce with a great Coti applied correctly to the right razor steel ...

Want to crack the garnets ??? put your slurry stone on your Diamond plate (Mine is a 1000) make the slurry on there put both on your base hone and do about 3-5 figure 8's
This will produce a nice misty broken slurry, you can try dilution if you want from there or if it has a very smooth creamy feel you can try a slurry finish see what happens..

These are just things that I use on my Coti, doesn't mean it will work on yours

ps: Only the Vintage Stamps on Vintage Cotis mean anything, the rest is pure unadulterated marketing hype

What razor are you trying to hone ???

Originally Posted by tintin

My line is straight. Didn't they glue BBW to coti's?

Yes and No

Some are BBW and NOT always of the highest quality, some are simple slate of low quality, you said yours was making a Purple slurry so it is probably a BBW..

Pictures would help, you're only sure with a natural combo, and still many variation in there. I use my BBWs pre-Coticule with excellent results, very good pre-finisher ime. But I only have natural combos, so they're mostly good quality.

As to what I said earlier, when Bart, an experienced Coticule honer, honed a razor for me in person on water, I wasn't even that impressed with the edge, being used to an Escher edge.

So I now finish on my Coticules with lather with great results; as said I used (olive) oil before, but that didn't do it for me. But, I just now used some fine machine oil, some sort of mineral oil, and that gave me a killer edge. I much prefer these edges instead of finishing on water. But to each their own, that's just what you gotta find out. Some like Coticule edges on water, some on oil, lather and some absolutely hate them.

Shaving, your skin, steel, etc., as have been mentioned, is so subjective and it's always a trial and error, what works for others, might work for you or it might not. Only one way to find out .

A lot of the Coticules I have seen over here (Belgium) that were used by people in the past for razors seemed to have been used with oil.


Sidenote, after severely thinning out my collection I am left with only Heljestrand razors.
But reading how well Sheffield steel reacts to the Coticule, I might re-consider adding one to my collection

Originally Posted by TristanLudloz1928273

Sidenote, after severely thinning out my collection I am left with only Heljestrand razors.
But reading how well Sheffield steel reacts to the Coticule, I might re-consider adding one to my collection

Get a Wade & Butcher FBU in nice condition. You won't regret it. Here's my bragging gaggle; just what I have restored (I have many more). The trifecta: wedge, celebrated hollow ground and (factory?) reground


Sorry, off topic I know.