Thread: How to use Coticule.

edit: Disburden, stop copying me!

Originally Posted by Fbones24

I tried searching on youtube and apparently I am incompetent. Glen, would you mind giving a brief description of the "pigtail stroke" or place a link to the video. Sorry for being

<youtube video Disburden already posted>
Here is a thread about him and his barber shop: http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...get-shave.html

That stroke that Liam uses is actually really nice for quite a few uses,,
I works on just about any stone and any slurry, and even for using a Barber's Hone with soapy lather....

Not to stir up another huge controversy but "Lather" didn't only mean Soap in the older days...
You are going to have to dig for it but IIRC it also could refer to slurry...

At first, I had a statement saying, that all of the stuff I wrote is my personal deduction from what I´ve read. Thus, it might be as wrong as well. I deleted that, maybe, this was a fault.

I think, a lot of knowledge was passed from mentor to novice, thus, a lot of knowledge is lost. I mean, much of the stuff we are discussing here is some kind of archaelogical work. But looking at the few texts and other things we still have, we know that there are more than one way to get a sharp razor.

Still, I think it is important to differ between touching up ad actually honing.

About the pasted strops: I don´t use them anymore. I just wrote what I´ve read elsewere. Indeed, I read about a guy who managed to keep his only razor sharp for several years, just using a pasted strop. So, you might be right in this point.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Not to stir up another huge controversy but "Lather" didn't only mean Soap in the older days...
You are going to have to dig for it but IIRC it also could refer to slurry...

Indeed. I think, I´ve read something about creating a lather with the slurry stone… Isn´t it even written on the Escher labels?

Regards,
tok

Originally Posted by tok

Indeed. I think, I´ve read something about creating a lather with the slurry stone… Isn´t it even written on the Escher labels?

We Escher users don't use slurry. We create slime with a rubber. (according to the label)

Edit; You're right ! The label does say lather, I don't recall where I read slime instead but I know that I've seen that term used. Maybe on another label.

More on lather...... In the 1980s barbers I knew called the coticule a 'soap stone.' They would use the thin lather from their "Lather King" machines as a vehicle for honing. I've done the same back then but haven't had a machine to do it with since then. The other day I lathered up a puck and brushed it onto one of my better cutting coticules. The lather was so slick that it was like honing on ice. I need to bring a coti to a barber friend and try the lather from his dispenser and see if it is different.

As an aside, speaking with a friend who is a scientist specializing in the field of polymers .... he is also a hone collector. He said that lather applied to a coticule would have a chemical effect that would be similar, if not the same, as slurry. This postulate is above my head but I'm throwing it out there for anyone who might have some knowledge relative to the topic.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

PS: Rounded bevel from pasted strop ???? Hmmmmm yeah another one of those unproved statements, in fact the tests I have done myself don't support that theory... sounds good on paper, but unless you basically let the strop sag or don't know how to strop it ain't gonna happen... One of those try it yourself and learn experiments you should do, so ya don't have to take my word for it..

It does happen if you use a loom strop because those usually have some sag.
I also seem to remember that Bill Ellis stropped on a sagging strop to develop a raindrop shaped bevel. But that is a long time ago so I could be wrong.

And I've experienced this myself on a loom strop. If it has a bit of sag and you use it regularly, you don't need to hone much and the bevel gets a bit rounded. Not saying this is beter or worse, but it can happen.

Originally Posted by Bruno

It does happen if you use a loom strop because those usually have some sag.
I also seem to remember that Bill Ellis stropped on a sagging strop to develop a raindrop shaped bevel. But that is a long time ago so I could be wrong.

And I've experienced this myself on a loom strop. If it has a bit of sag and you use it regularly, you don't need to hone much and the bevel gets a bit rounded. Not saying this is beter or worse, but it can happen.

Yes, in fact some of the other Non-hone based forums use loom strops just for this purpose...
We here tend to think Hones are king, but honestly razors can be maintained many different ways...

Loom strops and a series of pastes are just another way to a rather comfortable straight razor shave....

I tried it with the Dovo, Green, Red, and Black pastes the Green on a paddle and the Red and Black on a Loom,,, You can get a very nice shave from it and maintain it.... In fact IIRC it was you Bruno that linked the info from one of the EU forums that prompted my to try it like 3 years ago

Back about ten years ago I had a barber in his early 80's and he swore when he dies they would find him in his shop:-)
Well the point is that when I would watch him give a shave he would turn around at times and use his lather machine to get a dollop of lather and put it on both his barber hone which was a Swaty and also a Coti. Just one old barbers way.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

We Escher users don't use slurry. We create slime with a rubber. (according to the label)

Edit; You're right ! The label does say lather, I don't recall where I read slime instead but I know that I've seen that term used. Maybe on another label.

Jimmy, The celebrated Razor hone from Germany refers to slime on some of it's labels.

Originally Posted by Disburden

Jimmy, The celebrated Razor hone from Germany refers to slime on some of it's labels.

Thanks Nick, slime is the stuff that really gets 'em sharp !