Thread: Grandpas Hone

You can probably use the other side as well which is a BBW. I use one of mine after 3k and before moving to a Coticule. I use both with just water because I don't care about speed. If you do care about speed a slurry stone will be useful.

yep it's a coticule one of the best hone's for a razor

Originally Posted by Piet

You can probably use the other side as well which is a BBW. I use one of mine after 3k and before moving to a Coticule. I use both with just water because I don't care about speed. If you do care about speed a slurry stone will be useful.

Could you tell me where I may find a slurry stone?

You could get one through the SRP Classifieds (Strops&Hones or WTB) or from a Coticule reseller, I'm sure most of them have a few extra slurry stones.

Try Howard Schechter at The Perfect Edge , or just use a DMT diamond card. They work well and ensure that your slurry is 100% from your hone, not from the slurry stone. You can probably get the DMT card at your local Woodcraft store. BTW, after learning to use a coticule, I retired my Nortons permanently. A DMT 325 diamond plate works well for bevel setting and chip removal, and the next 2 levels for me are the BBW with slurry followed by the coticule with and without slurry. (or an Escher). YMMV. Sometimes I like to use a barber hone for part of the progression too. There are a lot of available stones, hones and techniques that will achieve a nice shaving edge, once you master any of them. Find what works best for you.

While coticules are capable of honing a straight from start to finish, syntetics are much easier and faster to learn. I like to use my coti for full honing sessions, but it is not so straight forward to learn. I am still in the learning phase, and I would advise to start on synths, then finish on a coti. Just my opinion.

Can you go start to finish on a Coti? Yes, Will it take longer? Yes, Will there be a learning curve? Yes. But all of these aside you will get a great finish, acquire a skill and be able to do what you need to do with just a Coti. Hundreds of years ago there were no synthetic stones, and I doubt the average shaver had more than one stone and a strop. They shaved well. off of natural stones and still do. Honing is an acquired skill, worth learning in my opinion, but naturals are a little harder to learn, but it is more satisfying when you are done.I got into honing because I found an old stone and razors that belonged to my grandfather while cleaning out my mothers house. There's something to be said for tradition and thinking this is what dziadzia (grandpa) did a hundred years ago, with this stone and this razor.

I'm no expert that's for sure. But I get some kind of enjoyment out of it. Taking a razor from dull to shave ready is a satisfying thing for me. I will stick with this hone and try to perfect my skills.
Thanks for all the help ID'ing my hone.