Thread: Coticule Versus Escher circa 1926

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

In short, carborundum is a silicon carbide stone",I got that from sharpening supplies.com,than that means since they come in three grades,course,medium,and fine,doesnt that mean that the fine would be basically a new Swaty?If so than you can get one new that's bigger 6"x3" and cheaper about 17 bucks,or is there some kind of difference that I'm not aware of?

I'm not clear on your logic. Why do you assume a hone that is listed as "fine" is comparable to a Swaty?

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Sham, back in the mid 1980s I bought 3 coticules from three different barbers in north NJ. All of them told me the cream color side was the hone and the blue side was not good for honing. Just to reinforce the cotiucle. They referred to it as a 'soap stone' and used lather as the vehicle for their honing. No slurry. If I understand it correctly the fact that the bbw is a viable hone has only become known in recent years. BTW, I just got the book a week ago off of the bay and was very happy to see the pages on the hones.

jimmy i was in austrailia in jan 2010, i spoke to a old barber. he had a little museum of all his hones and strops etc. there was a coticule. he to called it a soap stone. he said he never used it with slurry. infact he never heard of slurry. he used a little old norton red and black one side to set the edge then he used soap stone with lather. he said thats how they were taught at college.

gary

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If I understand it correctly the fact that the bbw is a viable hone has only become known in recent years. BTW, I just got the book a week ago off of the bay and was very happy to see the pages on the hones.

In the US perhaps. In Belgium we've known for ages
But the reason for the popularity of the yellow in favor of the blue is that in better days, the yellow was abundant and it was easy enough to mine it in large enough quantities and large hone sizes. And since the yellow is a much faster cutter, there is no reason to use anything else.

After WW2, the yellow became rarer for a couple of reasons, whereas the blue is still plentiful and available in large sizes fairly cheaply.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

In short, carborundum is a silicon carbide stone",I got that from sharpening supplies.com,than that means since they come in three grades,course,medium,and fine,doesnt that mean that the fine would be basically a new Swaty?If so than you can get one new that's bigger 6"x3" and cheaper about 17 bucks,or is there some kind of difference that I'm not aware of?

Those same old barbers who told me about the coticule back in the '80s swore by the Swaty for the quick touch up hone. They would wear the shirts with the two pockets at the waist and keep their Swaty in a pocket to get to it if a razor needed a bit of attention in the midst of a shave. Whether the devotion to the Swaty was due to brand reputation or actually trying alternatives is something I can't confirm. One of them also stressed that the Swaty should have 3 lines of text. Nowadays I think we've found that whether it is a two line or a three line one is as good as the other.

In my experience there are other barber hones that equal the Swaty for touching up. You mention the Carborundum being made with silicone carbide. AFAIK the Swaty was made with aluminum oxide. I have one that came NIB with the instruction sheet and they called it "The Alumina". I know from a friend who has experimented extensively with barber hones that many of them were made with different abrasives. Many of the various named barber hones deliver the goods if that is what you want but the Swaty seems to have been the go to hone for the pro barbers back in the days when shaving customers was a daily occupation. At least it was for those that I knew back then. I have a few but TBH if I ever use a barber hone for a touch up I tend to use the "It's a Peech." (their spelling)

I use my Swaty much the same way, (except for the shirt with the pockets...LOL...
They are great little stones. Invaluable....

Just a couple of swipes before I shave, and I rarely need to hone. They really do keep your edge going strong for some time. I know Utopian does the same.

Im not sure- thats why I said unless theres a difference that I dont know about. But if a Swaty is a Fine carburumdum stone ,then shouldnt they be the same?

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

Im not sure- thats why I said unless theres a difference that I dont know about. But if a Swaty is a Fine carburumdum stone ,then shouldnt they be the same?

A Swaty ain't a carborundum stone. It is aluminum oxide. Not that one is better than the other .... maybe it is, I don't know. It is a different abrasive and may be manufactured in a different process. I don't know that either.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

A Swaty ain't a carborundum stone. It is aluminum oxide. Not that one is better than the other .... maybe it is, I don't know. It is a different abrasive and may be manufactured in a different process. I don't know that either.

I know its a pain isnt it. Ask ten different people and get ten different answers.
What are you gonna do?