Garnet content

Here are two coticules of different size and seemingly different garnet content. The 6x2 seems to cut faster than the 8x3 and works well for smiling blades.

My question is, can the amount of visible garnet predetermine how fast or slow a coticule will cut steel. Can you actually tell a fast cutter just by looking at it? I like to think you could but I am no expert on Belgian stones at all. I hope you can see the difference in visible garnet in the photos. Again, the smaller stone wins handsdown for garnet content.

Many members have expressed thoughts and interest in Coticules in numerous threads and posts over the years and nobody seems to lose interest in them. Any informative thoughts regarding these stones are very welcome. Thanks in advance............:)

If it's possible for a rock to be sexy, that 6x2 is it.

I haven't played with enough coticules to know for sure if it's possible to tell how they will cut based on appearance alone. I know a lot of people say that if they have pink in them they cut faster. Your smaller one has a lot of pink to it.

From the coticules I own (none of which have pink tones), the lighter or more pastel they are the faster they cut. My darker coticules seem to be better finishers.

Again, bear in mind... My experience is limited to six pieces of rock.

IME the more pink the faster it'll cut. I've also got one that has no pink, only a cream color, and it is one of my best and fastest. :shrug: I've had to get to know the individual stone and see where it fits in best if I'm doing a progression.

You can't see the individual garnets since they are way too small but I would imagine depending on the variety garnets the more there are the more of a tint they will give the stone.

The 8x3 coticule actually has many minute specks of garnet which don't show up in the photo - this one seems to be a good finisher. The 6x2 works well with a slurry and gives very good feedback. This feedback makes me want to lighten my touch which is surely a good idea.

I would buy another coticule but I would not buy one sight-unseen like I did these two............

Ask Bart, he's the biggest expert there is on belgian hones. You can contact him here or you can contact him on his website Coticule.Be , it's his site and its all about honing on coticules and the stones themselves, where they're from, how what layer or the mine brings what kind of stone, etc. The site is awesome,@btw.

My limited experience has led me to believe that the pinks are faster, but the greys or ones with faint bluish streaks are far superior as finishers.

I agree with the others. Garnets are microscopic little rhomboids...However, In many cases, you can tell simply by looking IME. I sold those stones for some time, and have had long conversations with Rob at Ardennes, the members here and an x member named Bart. As previously stated, Pink cut faster, are softer and tend to be a lower grit. Your Yellow and Green Coti's are slower and harder and are a higher grit. The Gold one's vary. Tiger stones are normally fast cutters, due to their pink content.

With all Coti's, you can scratch the surface with your fingernail, and see what kind of mark, if any, it leaves. This test works well if you have many stones to compare your results too. If it leaves a very distinct scratch in the surface, you have a soft stone,
No scratch at all, is a hard stone, somewhere in between is medium....

You can't see specks of Garnet's on the surface, you just seeing the texture of the stone. Garnet's are microscopic....