Thread: Coticule repair

found this in a antique store for 3.00 . It has glue from masking tape on it and looks like someone bread knifed it bad.
it says
W. R. CASE & SONS CUTCO
NONFILLING
MALGAMIT
NONCORRODABLE
NO. 54

Do I lap it with a diamond stone to get groves out?
What about the glue? It is worse on backside and I dont really want to lap that side down.

Definitely not a coticule. I dont know what the glue is actually doing. You could try lapping it a few times to see what it might do to your barbers hone

That is a barber hone, not a coticule. Case is a good brand so it ought to be a good one once you clean it up. A diamond plate will do it if it is coarse enough. If it is finer than a 325 you can damage the plate. You can also use sandpaper on a flat surface. Just lap the one side if you want. Some of them are different grits one side to the other and some of them are the same on either side. I'm not sure about the Case. ChrisL is knowledgeable about lapping those things among other folks. Someone will be along to give you more to go with.

Agreed. That is most certainly a barber hone, and NOT a coticule.


As far as the old tape glue, that will be long gone by the time you're done lapping. It's hard to see from the photos, but it does not appear to be cracked anywhere, so some eblow grease and a diamond plate for lapping (or even sandpaper) should get you rockin' and rollin' without a lot of fuss.

Just be aware that barber hones like that one tend to be quite hard, and can take a long time to lapp.

Thank you for the info.
But, what is coticule? I can not find definition in Wiki

Originally Posted by Ocelli

Thank you for the info.
But, what is coticule? I can not find definition in Wiki

It is a hone mined in belgium. It is usually yellow in color.

Here is more info than you probably wanted to know

Belgian Hones - Straight Razor Place Wiki