Thread: coticule Veins

I'm ready to try out a coticule but there are many different veins, la petite, la vienette, ect.. I'm mostly looking for a good all around smooth edge finisher. If you could only choose one vein which would it be ?

I'm a great fan of the stone but know nothing of layers so can't really help you on that score. You could do some reading on coticule.be and get an idea, but in the end, if you get a coticule from a source that you trust to supply one that is good for razors, the real key to getting the best out of it is in learning how to use it. I'm not too sure how useful that is since it could be more or less applied to any stone/system but good luck anyway.

mellowace,

Please have a peek here : http://www.coticule.be/

And more specifically here : http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/message/24548.html

The Superior Shave has a very interesting coti page : Belgian Coticule Hones

I have a vintage La Veinette/BBW combo and a La Verte. The La Verte is harder, but they both finish the edge as well as each other

Good luck with your choice of coti

Best regards

Russ

Ebay usually has vintage ones that can be cheaper than any new ones in good size. I've owned about ten coticules in the past year and each layer can cut very differently. As mentioned check the coticule site for layer information. Imo the old select grade ones or kosher grade ones are the best but that can be touchy a subject.

Coticule.be is a great site for info but they cone off a little elitist for my taste. If I could pick one stone la dressete (sp) would be pretty high on my list I like la for finish but as they are extremely hard it's not easy getting slurry for non finishing purposes.

I'd personally go for a thuringian. IMHO they leave better edges and can be had for a very reasonable price on eBay.

After all, a thuringian is just an unbadged Escher!

Originally Posted by Disburden

Imo the old select grade ones or kosher grade ones are the best but that can be touchy a subject.

+1 The older Selects and Kosher also some of the Vintage stones that are about 7x1.5 in an actual "Razor Stone" boxes that were stamped Extra fine or Extra Extra fine are some of the best out there...

One thing to keep in mind when discussing coticule veins. The hone is derived from metamorphic rock that is made up of layers of sediment that accumulated over millions of years. Even within a vein the length of the run will not necessarily be homogeneous so you will have variations of properties within the vein. IOW call it whatever you want but even coticules out of the same vein may differ in honing characteristics.

A couple of years ago I discussed this with a well known coticule expert and enthusiast from Belgium. He pointed out that the veins we are hearing about are given to these areas within the mine at Ardennes Mining Company. They did not name them according to any quality of the rock. Rather so that when they were working in a specific area within their mine they had a way of identifying it. Other coticule mines in the area, now long gone, such as the "Old Rock", had their own pet names for veins within their mines that are long forgotten.

I have and/or have had quite a few vintage coticules, as well as a few current harvest from Ardennes. Regardless of which vein they came out of they all have their individual characteristics and we have to hone on them to see how best to use them to our advantage in honing razors. So my point is don't get carried away with the name of the stone. See how well it works for you and where it fits in to you arsenal. Just IMHO.

A member recently asked me the same thing. Have you guys actually seen the Coticules being sold these days? Many vendors no longer sell them. I checked 3 well known sources, and nothing, none for sale, and the one's for sale, well, they're terrible. Many are broken, and have all kinds of deposits on them. Where are all the Selected grade stones? Like Stu said, I'd go for an Escher, seriously. They're consistent, and I haven't come across a bad one.

Now, if you find a good one, (Seriously, Good luck, I used to sell them) I'd get a La petite, or a Dressante, both are good, all around stones...But be advised, These stones can be brittle. Don't buy one with lot's of cracks, or veins, or inclusions, or whatever they call it today. It seems to get a good one, you may have to go through the quarry directly, and they are very expensive. If had to pay that much, I'd go for an Escher.

P.S. As Jimmy said, don't get hung up on vein names. Each Coticule cuts differently, even within the same vein, so it's a crap shoot, and there is a huge learning curve with that stone, regardless of what you hear. Vein names have only come out recently. Prior to vein names, we all wanted "Selected" grade stones.
The standard grade sold today weren't used for razors, mostly tools.

In the pic are a small Dressante 6x2, and a La Nouvelle 8x3 with a slurry. Both are Selected grade stones suitable for straight razors. The razor is from Jim, it was made for Kanayama. It's a western style Japanese blade scaled by our Max in Jade ghost of course.

TSS has plenty good looking select grade cotis. Buying directly from Ardennes is great as well.

I have a LPB from Ardennes (left) and a LGB bout from TSS. A Jnat and a "C12K" wanted to come along for the family picture...


By blix72 at 2011-06-30