Thread: Coticule Versus Escher circa 1926

This info is from The Barber's Manual by A.B. Moler. First published in 1911, my copy is the 1926 edition. I am not taking a position on the merits of the text as I love both stones. Just thought to share the information for those who haven't seen the book.

Interesting post Jimmy! Thanks for sharing..!

Very cool, I love when you post these old manuals information.

Did i read it says Cream color of the stone is real hone?
Does that means BBW IS NOT HONE? JUST SLATE FOR BACKING?
by the way JIMMY thank you for hiding all this great information from us until now.
lol.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Did i read it says Cream color of the stone is real hone?

yes

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Does that means BBW IS NOT HONE? JUST SLATE FOR BACKING?

only if the other rock that was cut out and glued to the cream rock as a base was a BBW

Thanx, Jimmy.


Me

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Did i read it says Cream color of the stone is real hone?
Does that means BBW IS NOT HONE? JUST SLATE FOR BACKING?
by the way JIMMY thank you for hiding all this great information from us until now.
lol.

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.

Thanks ,that was great ,you should post more of it,whatever is good anyway...

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.