Thread: 1k - BBW - Coticule Does anyone else even use this any longer???

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1k - BBW - Coticule Does anyone else even use this any longer???

Not for a few years now but at the time my Belgians were small/slow stones. No complaint re edges just time taken. I imagine an 8x3 would speed things up some.

When I started honing, BBW was one of my favourites. But I no longer use it. It's the slowest hone I have ever used for a 4k grit stone. Coticules are exceptional hones, but BBW are just a by-product of them. And I have more than a dozen of them, the bigger is 12x3". For honing a couple of razors, I can't say it isn't a good choice after a 1k hone and before a coticule. But for more razors, or knifes and bigger sharp instruments, I don't think it's a good choice.

I've been doing the same thing lately as well,although I've found not all my BBW act the same.
Steel and Stone.: My first Flaschner re hone
I have a combo nouvelle vein/bbw bout that works great on the bbw side. makes great slurry fast, cuts even faster and does not seem to dull the edge. I can go from the 1 K to it and get arm hair popping in 2 laps sometimes.

I also have a vintage 6x2 coticule with bbw on the other side that doesn't cut that well at all and makes poor slurry with the same bout. I was setting the bevel just now on a 4/8 wedge a friend gave me with a frown and the plan was to go

chosera 600
chosera 800
norton 4 k
norton 8 k
coticule

but then I caught this thread and instead of the 4 k norton I went to the nouvelle vein bbw and it worked like a charm on thickish slurry. then onto the yellow side of hte nouvelle vein on light slurry then add another layer of tape and do a unicot. we'll see tomorrow. It feels like English steel but it's a New York Company called Kidd and Dehart "supreme custom wedge"

All of my sheffields responed well to the BBW for the low grit range. It just works so fast and easy. Nothing on water though but the slurry is fun to use without worry about dulling.

I haven't used my blue belgian sides on my two natural combination hones (La Veinette and La Verte) for quite a while, but I used to use my La Veinette in a progression of:

- yellow w/slurry (I guess equivalent to the 1000 grit)
- blue w/slurry
- blue w/half slurry and water
- add layer of tape
- blue with water
- yellow with water

I got some really good results. Apparently the blue side on water doesn't effectively do much, but for the rest the method is still in my "Honing method book" for that sad day when nothing else works.

My blues, especially the La Veinette, are a joy to hone on, although I noticed my La Verte blue side (with yellow popping through here and there ) has some dents.

After 10 +/- months of great shaves, my honing fell flat on its face. After the 1k shave challenge, I put the blame on my 4k. 1k to bbw to coticule has been my saving grace.
Even though my combo is very small (1.25"x5") I enjoy honing on it much more than my norton combo.
Not sure why my 4k is failing, but it very clearly dulls my edge.

That's my honing setup, although i add a king 4000 between the 1000 and bbw. This is my standard progression unless something strange happens, which usually does I have a slate stone that i've shaven comfortably off but still don't know where to fit it in with the rest of my stones, not easy to figure that out.

-10 circles on the king 1000 with Coti slurry
-15 light strokes on the clean 1000 King
-4000 king with coti slurry then just water. 30 strokes.
-BBW with coti slurry, 30 strokes diluting to water.
-Coticule with light slurry 10 strokes
-Coti with water 20 strokes
-Coti with Baby oil for just that little bit more that seems to do so much for my shaves (i know baby oil is a little unconventional)