Thread: Coticule Hones

Originally Posted by sdsquarepoint

Don't mind the heavy breathing..

As long as the coticules don't get stuck together we'll be alright.

To late! It's all natural!

I agree with you zip, about how coticules don't need to be lapped often.

I lapped mine lightly when I first got them, just to make sure. I haven't lapped them since.

I don't want them to wear out anytime soon, even though I'm sure they will last a REAL long time. Kinda like the Japanese naturals and their stamps...when I eventually get one, I would hate to ever have to lap it and see the stamp get wiped off. I know that's totally different, since it's just a stamp, but yeah, I'm a nut

Originally Posted by avatar1999

I agree with you zip, about how coticules don't need to be lapped often.

I lapped mine lightly when I first got them, just to make sure. I haven't lapped them since.

I don't want them to wear out anytime soon, even though I'm sure they will last a REAL long time. Kinda like the Japanese naturals and their stamps...when I eventually get one, I would hate to ever have to lap it and see the stamp get wiped off. I know that's totally different, since it's just a stamp, but yeah, I'm a nut

This reminds me of how many of us keep the stickers on the TI scales that indicate the authenticiy of the scale material. Pardon the off topic nature......MB

I still have the sticker on my TI too....

It's funny how this thread suddenly looks as if we all had some kind of massive dispute. I certainly did not want to contribute to such a sentiment. What I posted was only inspired to add to the conversation - or fruitful discussion, if you like -.

If I may, I'll add some more:

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Your point about raising slurry on parts that the razor does not heavily wear is extremely valuable. I had not considered that before. I would like to point out, however, that this will prevent dishing. To practice this to avoid dishing makes me thing that dishing is less than ideal. Maybe yes, maybe no. I don't know. You also said flat enough to avoid ill effects; if I was to read that blindly, I would say that that means flat is important, which would make me think dished is bad. Again, I don't know...

Let's put it this way: If a Coticule looks flat when you see it lying in front of you, it will hone just fine. No need to eyeball it, no need for a straight edge or for a "pencil grid test". Regardless the method of use. If the Coticule is used in a single-hone setup you can even take it further than that. It will not introduce a frown into the edge. Nor will it cause any other future honing problem. There's no single valid reason why it would. The edges are as keen and smooth as those from a freshly lapped Coticule. But yes, when raising slurry I aim to use the high spots on my hone. I rather turn them into useful slurry, than to lap them into the drain at some far away future.
But if anyone wants to keep his Coticule dead flat, by all means, by my guest. And I really doubt the guys at Ardennes would really mind about that either. I have read the original e-mail Rob wrote to Zib (Rich was so kind to share the content with me). It was made in the context of Rich worrying about the thickness of the Coticule part of a natural combo. He is kind of strict on delivering premium quality to his customers(take that as a compliment, Rich). Rob was trying to point out that even a thinner slice of Coticule will last a very loooong time. In that context he made a remark about lapping. He pointed out that Coticules should not be lapped frequently. He did not say that they work better when dished.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Bart, you mention differences, and I've noticed on your site you rate the edges you can get off coticules. What I'm curious is, are those differences based, in general, on the vein, the grade, both, other factors, or a combination. My initial response was where it seem to me that Zib was saying select is select is select and the vein didn't matter, and, from what I saw on your site and in other reading, that was not the case. So I guess I'm saying "I don't know, but I don't think so..."

. I don't really rate the edges. Only once in a blue moon I will make very careful statements about the final edge delivered by a Coticule, and then only with the bold disclaimer that it's practically impossible to discern between Coticule edges. The differences are very minimal and impossible to qualify in an objecticve way. But there are very significant differences in speed, honing feel and approach to reach good keenness on a Coticule. When you only use one for finishing an already shaveready edge, that doesn't matter. But for general honing, it's the ultimate goal to reach sufficient keenness. The legendary smoothness comes for free. On my website I try to describe peculiarities of the hones. I'm also trying to figure out how that correlates to the whereabouts of te raw rock (mining spots and layer names) and to the appearance of the hones (color, prescence of mangane traces, etcetera). Too much to go into in one thread (hence the need for an entire website )

But it is futile to talk about the final edge. A Coticule edge is just that: a coticule edge. If I'm allowed a comparison: let us talk about shaving brushes. Some people prefer boar, some prefer badger. Within badger, some prefer a small densely packed silvertip, others like the soft firmness of a big superbadger, etc. I personally don't even know about these differences: I just use the one that I have and enjoy my ignorance. At the end of it all, does the brush has any influence on the final shaving result? I think most will agree that question is completely besides the point.
I would like to make the same statement, in bold, about Coticule hones. Some will act a bit faster for bevel correction purposes, others will be a bit more lenient in refining the edge, some add a special kind of draw to the honing stroke, a draw that I may describe as "luxurious" but someone else might find awkwardly "mucous". But in the end, it's a tool.
User's skill defines the outcome way more than any often desired but rarely found magical qualities in the stone itself.

I think that DMT may have a financial interest in a large cache of 'vintage' coticules and is largely responsible for encouraging excessive, un-necessary lapping. Danged capitalists!