Thread: coticule help

I can confirm that using oil to finish the edge on a coti brings it to another level.

Based on Tristan’s comments, I took a Taylor cast steel razor I had shaved with yesterday to my combo coti using a light honing oil. My previous shave with the the Taylor was really close and comfortable, but I could not get the HHT to more than a level 3. After finishing on oil, the hairs just snapped off on contact with the edge - wow!


I’ll use the razor tomorrow when I have a similar beard growth to the previous shave and report on the results, but I expect it to be amazing.

The past few posted pages are the first I have heard of using oil on a coti. I'll have to try it. I love learning new stuff!

I have never felt the need for oil on a coti. I think it helps the ones that need it TBH.

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

I have never felt the need for oil on a coti. I think it helps the ones that need it TBH.

I do agree that on the best Coticules, the difference between oil or water are minimal. But it will do something. There won’t be a need for oil as you said per se.
On lesser grade Cotis the difference will be bigger.


Many catalogues of the past marketed the Belgian hones as oil hones.
They were also never sold with slurry stones. Although slurry has absolute wonderful and impressive capabilities.
What most of ud have read is is a more modern approach to the Coticule. Due in part to the Coticule forum.
However, they tried to do the exact same thing on that forum. Trying to improve the results of plain water finishing, like cllogging and taming the garnets by rubbing dry shave soap on the Coti, or candle wax, etc etc.
Bart had made and stated very noticeable improvements.
Well oil does just that, reduces friction, tames the garnets, which ups the keenness and smooths the edge by reducing the cutting power of the garnets leaving more shallow scratches. Also the reason why pressure really matters during the finishing stage.

My Coticules/BBWs combos I inherited are of the highest quality. Very hard La Veinette or similar stones. Old rock, deep rock, or whatever they were marketed at for the foreign market. All of them heavily used with oil.

Old French texts going a good while back mention professional razor sharpeners using olive oil on the Belgian stones.
Coincidentally I have found olive oil to be of perfect viscosity and consistency for honing on.

I posted a video where the coticule miners/workers themselves treated second grade coti surfaces by melting resin in the Coticule surface.
They did a lot more prep to all the Coticules’ surfaces than I thought, rubbing them with different hard stones, even glazing them.

"Although slurry has absolute wonderful and impressive capabilities."

On a great coticule - yes, making it versatile. On a lesser grade, no. This depending on what you want from it.
If you are trying to finish on a lesser stone,even if you use oil to finish, you will be set so far back using slurry that your base stone will never get you to where you want to be in terms of finish. Slurry can be very detrimental to the end result.

If you are only using your lesser coti for low to mid work - sure. It could move you along using a natural stone.

I had watched the video and what I saw from a surface coating standpoint was actually the glue being applied to mate stones, not a surface treatment at all (it was dark in color). I would have to watch again.

The use of oil vs water can be Regional it seems. Oil being used much less in general.
As you stated it can make a larger difference in lesser stones, much less so (indistinguishable) in very fine coti's.

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

I had watched the video and what I saw from a surface coating standpoint was actually the glue being applied to mate stones, not a surface treatment at all (it was dark in color). I would have to watch again.

The use of oil vs water can be Regional it seems. Oil being used much less in general.
As you stated it can make a larger difference in lesser stones, much less so (indistinguishable) in very fine coti's.

True, Coticules can be all over the place. The good ones are fantastic. Some of my fast ones will set a bevel on x-strokes with only water rather quickly, whilst still being very fine. Insane.

In the video one part was about gluing, the other part was about melting resin into the the surface and then they continued to polish it further (they called em second grade stones)
I have been using oil on Coticules they would call second grade with fantastic results. It most definitely upped the keenness.

On my really good stones, water seems to give really good results, I will soon try oil vs water on them.

I do notice that when I come off a Dilucot and Unicot to plain water my Coticule feels much much better on plain water.

When I purely use it without any slurry or slurry stone rubbing, it feels different and results slightly differ, there oil really helps a lot for me.

But there's a lot YMMV thing with these stones.

I indeed forgot how a very slow stone acted on slurry, I only have extremely fast ones left and they're a hoot. So easy, so fast.
Amazing rocks in any case.
But a ton of experimenting and finding out.

I shaved with the Taylor finished on my coti with oil. No question the edge was keener with oil than without, but honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference in the shave or the face feel afterwards.

Given the mess the oil creates that has to be cleaned up, I think I’ll stick with water for this particular coticule.

That's some interesting information Tristan. I've wondered why some of the old stones I've found have a very smooth finish until I lap them. (i might add that i've really only have around 4 of them) Where would be a good start in prepping a stone to make it smoother?