Thread: twin natural coticule

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

What is "The Burton Series" ?

bart will be able to answer that one better than me . It's just a new range there labeling.

It never fails. Just when I start to get happy with the stones I have.
Someone posts a picture of a beautiful natural stone like that.

Marc

Jimmy, where did you get the custom wooden box shown in this picture? Did you make that yourself?! Wow.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Very interesting and beautiful hone Gary. Here are photos of what may be the same stuff on the back of my pink/gray natural combo. These pics are when I cut a slurry stone off of one end. (there is a pencil grid on the gray) It is a gray coticule on the back side.... if it is a coticule backing ? I've never been able to confirm that. Whatever it is , it cuts slow and is hard. The pink is super fast and a bevel setter with slurry..

Originally Posted by JeffE

Jimmy, where did you get the custom wooden box shown in this picture? Did you make that yourself?! Wow.

I bought that pink combo coticule from a Russian collector. (not from SRP) and it came with that box. It is very nice. Same guy sold me my speckled vintage Salamander coticule.

Pics of mine will follow shortly. I'm just glad it's finally sort of becoming known in razor circles that manganese lines are not cracks & are often indicative of higher garnet content. Also glad more & more guys are realizing how versatile these stones really are.

Interesting that hones like these (Burton series candidates) would previously be sold as "standard" because of figuring, while the cosmetically "perfect" select hones were just as likely to be very average performers; not bad, just nothing remarkable.

Thats a beauty Gary!

Mac

I would like to offer some extra information about the "Burton series" label.

Prosper Burton was the previous owner of the company we now know as Ardennes Coticules. His firm called Burton Rocks, or Burton Rox, according to the source. Prosper allegedly was very passionate about his whetstones. I've heard someone say that he actually loved his Coticules too much to be selling them. That was the major reason why he eventually got into financial troubles with his company.
Anyway, Burton was a colorful character and a charming fellow. He certainly deserves the honor of a label that carries his name and legacy.

I've been nagging at Ardennes for the reinstatement of a system that also incorporates abrasive properties into the grading system, instead of just grading them by how uniformly they look. But because it requires a proper assessment of the stones, this would be a very time-consuming endeavor, while the vast majority of Coticule users wouldn't be interested in the extra information. It is a fact that finished Coticule edges don't differ all that much, and for tools other than razors, which generally have less hardened steel, the speed differences aren't as significant as we experience on razors.
For this and other reasons, the idea was put on the back burner, but not forgotten.

About a year ago, I found an odd looking stone, while I was going through Ardennes' stock. It had (almost) the shape of a coffin, and no BBW nor slate backing. Instead, the backing looked like BBW and Coticule, almost molten together (hence the name "Hybrid" side). I brought it home and was amazed about the speed of the Coticule, and the outstanding, very agreeable feedback. I guess most people who love Coticules have a fondness for the way they feel while honing, and this weird specimen just took it to the next level. I didn't really try the hybrid side, as I had way too much on my head back then with starting the Coticule website.

About 6 months, and 2 visits at Ardennes later, I found another specimen of the "Les Latneuses" layer, and didn't hesitate for one second. Testing this one, I found the same amazing speed, but again the honing feel was what really blew me away. I contacted Maurice of Ardennes, who told me that he couldn't send these to resellers, because they would reject them for their ugliness. He went through the entire stock for me and a few days later a parcel with 4 more arrived in the mail. One of them is so fast it turns black while just working on water, which is rather exceptional in my experiences with Coticules.

I decided to buy them myself and sell them with a €10 profit to pay the expenses of a hosting plan upgrade for the website. I wanted to treat the guys who purchased them (we had to organize a draw because there were too many candidates), with a special label.
That's when the simmering idea for Coticule grading emerged again. I proposed to Maurice to start a separate series of Coticules, that are sold with a label, carrying layer name and a description of properties. He agreed. The hones will carry a serial number, and all hones will be listed, with picture, on a website, to reduce the risk of fraude with fake labels.

There are currently 4 "Burton labels" sold, all on my initiative, as a limited fund raiser for the website. I have no plans to become a reseller and the rest of the Burton Series will be sold by Ardennes, once they have all the details worked out. In May, I'm going over there to see how I can help with it.


Kind regards,
Bart.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Many thanks Bart ! Now I have to have one.

Yes thank you very much Bart. And Jimmy hit it right on the head. I MUST HAVE ONE!!

I can't wait to see more developments at the Coticule.be website, Bart. I am really happy with the work you've been doing over there and I am sure your site going to be more and more successful.

Gary, that is a real eye catching beauty of a coticule! Hope it hones as well as it looks.