Thread: MONSTER Coticule Jr.

Abso-Effing-lutely once in a lifetime stone

Lol you can get a case of what ever you want for that stone!

Can anyone tell me the vein/layer of this stone? (Just curious.)

Thanx,
Me

Originally Posted by Lesslemming

Abso-Effing-lutely once in a lifetime stone

My thoughts exactly. Such a perfect Coticule, and so large. Thanks for posting pics of it, a real treat.

That's a THREE BOW SALUTE natural stone, for sure:

Thanx everyone. =)

I'm still struggling with bench-honing on a table. (My arm gets tired holding this 4lbs 10oz stone.) But I'm trying to learn. Somehow the strokes feels more certain, more accurate, more confident, even tho I can't keep the blade even for the whole stroke yet. A few more days, and muscle memory should kick in...I hope. =)

Me

Originally Posted by CJBianco

I'm still struggling with bench-honing on a table. (My arm gets tired holding this 4lbs 10oz stone.)

You'll have a forearm like Popeye if you hand hold and hone with that bad boy. If your's is the Jr. this is the baby brother. I got this one off of Tony Miller and it is his photo. It is 10"x2 1/2x1 1/4. Weighs in at 3lbs 3ozs. It too is a natural and was made by or for the Arthur Thomas Co which a google search revealed still sells lab equipment. Interesting point, to me anyway, is that Marcus's (littlesilverladdiefromwale) coticule was purchased from a laboratory supply in the UK.

Point being that these big 'uns must have been more suited to whatever they might sharpen with them in laboratory situations. Without exception the coticules I saw owned by barbers in the old days were the 5x2 1/2 size or smaller. Maybe it is that hand held thing as opposed to bench ? Oddly enough, though I learned honing on the bench I've been experimenting with doing the hand held thing with smaller hones and liking it. BTW, I too thought about cutting this one. I decided that as rare as a natural is in this size I would leave it as is.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Interesting point, to me anyway, is that Marcus's (littlesilverladdiefromwale) coticule was purchased from a laboratory supply in the UK.

Point being that these big 'uns must have been more suited to whatever they might sharpen with them in laboratory situations.

Beautiful and big stone, Jimmy! =)

Yes, my stone was sold with used lab equipment as an old microtome sharpener. (From the UK too.)

Me

It sounds very logical to me, that laboratories used much larger stones than barbers and such.
This is because of several things.

In laboratories for the past centuries straight razors or devices with equivalent cutting edges have been used in what is called microtomy.
Here a sample that is to be examined under extreme maginifaction is sliced into extremely thin slices.
This way cellular structures can be seen.

It is important to have an extremely clean cut because of two things:

first: "scratches" on the surface of the cut left from teeth or burr on the edge will become visible under high magnification and will lead to detoriation of the microscopy

second: the slices have to be extremely thin (literature speaks of single digit micron thicknes) to prevent multy-layers. You want to look at one layer of cellular structure only.


Devices used for microtomy can consist of a straight razor, or much larger microtomes. These are devices that will automatically cut thin slices with a very large knife, seen here:


Such big knives need big stones, I guess.
A coticule, as well as an arkansas (perferably black, I heard) and BBW were used frequently

Originally Posted by Lesslemming

Devices used for microtomy can consist of a straight razor, or much larger microtomes. These are devices that will automatically cut thin slices with a very large knife, seen here:

That's a monster Japanese-style frameback wedge! (I want one.)

Me =)