Thread: Use of the BBW?

I go along with Ben here again IME. My only difference is that I don't dilute to clear water on the BBW. Whether I set the bevel on a yellow coticule with slurry or on a synthetic, I can sharpen on the bbw with slurry and it will bring keenness to the edge IME. Bart pointed out that the garnets are larger in diameter within the bbw.

So I don't know if it is coarser or just cutting differently than the yellow. I do agree that bbw with slurry will sharpen and then moving to yellow with water only to refine works well for me when honing with the coticule.

It is interesting that the Begians used the bbw for paving stones and other construction material. The older coticules had bbw glued to the yellow to reinforce the fragile coticule and the bbw was not considered to be a sharpening stone at all. I have a labeled "Old Rock" natural with the label glued to the bbw.

At the time it was only added to protect the yellow. When they discovered it's efficacy as a hone is unknown to me but in the '80s more than one barber told me the yellow was the side you hone on and the other side is "no good".