Thread: A narrow coticule???

I like older, more traditional stuff. So most of my blades are in the 100+ year-old range, and many have skewed spines, irregular bevels, frowns, etc. I tried Xs, rolling Xs, 45 degree Xs, etc. with poor results. More out of frustration than anything else, I tried going the narrow route. Less of the blade on the hone = more likely to follow the "natural " irregularities.

So, not having anything else, I started using the side of my BBW/coticule on these blades, using Bart's unicot method -- about 3/4" wide. Short story, about a dozen difficult blades have responded very well. I finish, again on the side (about 1.25" wide), of my C12K.

The BBW/coti is not ideal (obviously), so now I'm looking for a yellow coti with dimensions of 1" X 6-8".

I've been advised this is "crazy thinking." Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

Any thoughts, warnings, or (dare I hope) encouragement?

Many people prefer the narrowed hones. Not sure if I would go down to 1", but a few of mine are 1.5" and are perfect for smiling or warped blades.

The only thing I can think of right off the top of my head is Be very careful about any pressure you may apply on the narrow hones. Would be very easy to hone one area of the blade too much without realizing it.

How wide is your hone you have? Could always look into cutting it to make it thinner if you really wanted to

I've got some hones that are 1 1/2 that work well and I have turned my single grit nortons on their side and used the 1" side on at least one razor but if I was going to buy a narrow coticule I would go for a 1 1/2.

I like the narrow ones, too; anything from 1" to 2" wide.

Originally Posted by pcb01

so now I'm looking for a yellow coti with dimensions of 1" X 6-8".

I prefer narrow hones too.

A yellow Coticule you said?

Less than 1" at one end, 1.35" at the other. 8" long.
"La Grosse Jaune". Enjoy the view.



Best regards,
Bart.

I have two of the same. One is almost 10 inches...and they are both combos, selected grade.

The stone on the left is a 6x2

Originally Posted by pcb01

The BBW/coti is not ideal (obviously), so now I'm looking for a yellow coti with dimensions of 1" X 6-8".

I've been advised this is "crazy thinking." Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

Any thoughts, warnings, or (dare I hope) encouragement?

I'll offer encouragement - use any hone, device, or "trick" that will help you advance the quality of your honing. Definitely try a narrow hone, and if you don't like it, just sell it to a loving home via the SRP Classifieds.

I don't universally prefer narrow hones for all razors, but I definitely prefer them for old wedges and and smiling blades like you describe. The narrowness helps enforce good rolling X technique for me. With a wider hone, I tend to unconsciously drift from a rolling X to a regular X pattern, leading to an uneven bevel along the length of a smiling blade. Too narrow at the heel, too wide at the point, and not really "right" anywhere.

So I don't think a 1 x 6" or 1 x 8" hone is crazy at all. My most useful narrow hone is a very old 1.25 x 9.2" solid coticule stone, that gets very close to 1" wide at it's narrowest point. It's in the Wiki hone database (listed as "Coticule, Vintage, Solid"), and is pictured below. The nice thing is that because demand is heavier for wider hones, narrow hones (particularly coticules) can generally be had more cheaply.



On hollow-ground razors with straight edges, my favorite size is palm-sized, around 2.5 x 5 inches (like mine pictured below from the Hone Wiki). I don't really have the required level of coordination and muscle control to maintain a straight-edge hollow-ground razor dead flat on a 1-inch wide hone. I need the width of the hone as a rest for the blade to keep it in proper flat contact with the hone during the entire stroke. For me, the hone needs to be wide enough (at least 2 inches) so that 2/3rds of the blade's length never leaves the hone during the X stroke.

I love to hone and will try to hone with natural stones of any shape, any size. But through trial and error I learned that these two form factors help me, see what helps you.

Originally Posted by zib

I have two of the same. One is almost 10 inches...and they are both combos, selected grade.

The stone on the left is a 6x2

That 6x2 looks awefully familiar, Rich!

I have one large razor with a very noticable smile, and my aforementioned 6x2 select grade seems to work really well. Thanks again, Zib!

Here is my vintage narrow coticule. It is very hard and seems to be a great polisher (I have not learned to use it yet). 1 1/4x6''

Originally Posted by sparq

Here is my vintage narrow coticule. It is very hard and seems to be a great polisher (I have not learned to use it yet). 1 1/4x6''

I'd be happy to break her in and give you a free evaluation....!

Rich