Thread: Odd Coticule

This is the oddest coticule I've ever owned. It was epoxied (orange) into an old wood paddle box. Here it is free of the paddle box, cleaned and lapped (top only). I sanded all over this stone, but a few spots of orange epoxy remain in the deep nooks. It looks like raw coticule, and averages 7" x 1.5" x .5" with plenty of figure including lines, waves, colors, and false water spots (hard to see in the photos). Oh, and this thing is hard as nails. It's an effort to build a light slurry on this stone!

I was wondering what some of the resident coticule experts think about it.

(Last photo is next to my Escher.)

Thanx,
Christopher =)

It looks great. I like it. I want it. What is odd about it, the veins or the lack of a backing stone?

Since they are kind of fragile, are you going to mount it on something else?

Judging from the color on my monitor it seems to be more white than yellow, I am going to hazard a guess and say that it is a slower cutter, but a smooth finisher. Just my nickels worth.

I love the veins.

I agree with Kelly, Looks like a hard finisher, almost like those Hybrids I've seen lately.
Very nice, Falls into the Selected grade Category....Like Ron said, It's rare to see a chunk of Coti with no backing. That's why it was boxed, They are fragile in that state, so be careful with it...You'll see older vintage Coti's glued to BBW's for support...

The oddity comes from its appearance, sure. Also from its super hard surface and extra slow polishing power. And its lack of backing stone like BBW or slate. (However, the wood paddle box is its backing stone.) All of it combines to make a lovely odd coticule. I originally thought to pass it along to a more coticule-obsessed forum member, but it's growing on me, so I may wish to keep it a while longer.

Thanx,
Me

I'd send a PM to A_S to make sure he sees it. He is very familiar with obscure natural hones from around the world. IIRC there has been mention of coticules harvested adjacent to Belgium. It is possible Alex might be able to give you something to go with by studying the photos.

One way or the other, all we can do is take razors to them with and without slurry. At various stages of keenness and see what we come up with. Beautiful rock though.

"Coticule obsessed?"
Who?

Originally Posted by Utopian

"Coticule obsessed?"
Who?

Great minds think alike ! I was afraid to ask.

yes it looks like a hybrid i have one the hybrid side is harder on mine ,still cuts moderate and leaves a very sharp smooth edge for me . its my favourite coticule . try it and see how it goes

I have a couple of stones that are very similar to this, these are Coticules that were sold under the trade name of "Old Hickory". These seem to be typified by the black lines on the surface, and were part of a group of Belgian hones that were sold specifically for use as oilstones. Mine are unbacked like yours, although one did come with small spots of epoxy, so they may simply have had their slate backing removed. Since they were sold as oilstones, I've only used them with oil (Circle Cut to be precise) and like them as a final finisher. I've always found I get the best results with oil on my finishing stones, so I wouldn't want to say definitively they are much better than other coticules, but I've never had reason to complain about mine.

The derivation of the particular brand name may come from the mistaken belief at one time that coticules were petrified wood, but this was disproved very early so I'm not certain about that.

Kindest regards,
Alex