Thread: Do you know your coticule

Originally Posted by eleblu05

what color is your stone rodb ?

The pictures are pretty color correct, VERY yellow almost hints of pink/orange

I also have a very purple standalone BBW, it's the one on top in the picture.

I have an 8x3 Select Grade Coticule backed with slate it is my second one the first was a 6x1.5 Extra Extra Fine stamped vintage Coti with a BBW back..
I have no clue what vein the Vintage was from and I doubt anyone could honestly nail that down..

The Select is at least 8 years old from Howard at the Perfect Edge originally, it has no inclusions or marks, it doesn't matter how fast it is, I use two different Slurry stones if I ever want to produce a cutting slurry and both are softer than my stone .. I have no clue what Vein it was from I doubt there were vein names when it was mined..
It is very hard and very fine, I use it 99% of the time as a final finisher on Sheffield steel, it comes in after the razor is fully shave ready either on the Norton 8k or the Henckels (naniwa) 8k.. I do about 20 Pigtail strokes with a light slurry made from a dmt 325, and then I dilute out over the next 20-25 X stokes ending up with clear water and light X strokes...

Sometimes when I am having fun I will use the old BBW into Coticule system after a bevel set, using the same light slurry to clear water system I outlined above with both stones.. My BBW is also a 8x3 from Howard...





My baby pictured above actually resting on the BBW

Here is one of my Coticules.....the only one that I have pictures of. It's a natural combo but beyond that I know very little about the provenence of the stone. It's 10 inches long and came in a wooden box that looks like it spent quite a while sitting on someone's workbench. I have only used it as a finisher and it does a fine job.

Here are my current crop of coticules. I still have these except for the shorter of the two longest. It went to a good home not too long ago. Of the hones all but one are naturals and some are faster, some finer. Some are favorites, others I rarely mess with so I haven't figured them out as of yet. The Les Lat on the far left came from a member in the UK who asked a ridiculous price for it and since a fool and his money are soon parted, I paid it. I find it to be fast with water only on the yellow side, for sharpening/finishing (not settin' no bevels) and a fine finisher on the ugly side which made it unsaleable to anyone but us crazies. ( yeah, I know.... you don't think it is ugly .... neither do I .... like I said .... crazy)

Anyway, the 3rd from the left is a vintage nat that came with a labeled Droescher box ( a distributor of barber supplies) and is the color of eggshell. One of the best coticules I've ever laid a blade on. Sharpens and finishes. Next to it is my green natural. Slow as molasses with water but not too bad with slurry. Follow that with diluting to water and it leaves a lovely fine edge. The big fellow with the razor laid on it is a nat with yellow interspersed with pink.

TBH I haven't used it much. I got it in a big trade because, like Mt Everest, "it was there," and how could any hone freak resist. It is fast, sharpens and finishes well but I prefer a smaller hone to work with. YMMV. The 5x2 1/2s you see are all nat cots of the kind and size the old barbers in Newark, NJ used back when I knew them 30 some years ago. All good but I did have to figure one of them out. It is strictly a finisher of edges already up to 8k. The one all the way on the end is a 'kosher' purchased from Ardennes a few years ago. An 8x3 glued to slate. The La Veinette was penciled on it and it is a good hone. Anything you see in the photos smaller than those is a glued slurry stone.

Well here is my humble collection of two lol.

The 6x2 I would like to think I am very good at. I haven't had the barbers hone that long, but am learning it quickly enough as it's only used for touch-ups. It's much "faster" than the 6x2. No idea what vein(s) they are - they are fun though.

Earcutter --
You stated in another thread that Mrs. Earcutter "knows more about cotis than any non-shaver should." What's her fave?
I like the placement on the "cutting board" -- very appropriate!

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Earcutter --
You stated in another thread that Mrs. Earcutter "knows more about cotis than any non-shaver should." What's her fave?

LOL - her fave would be the one that wasn't left on the kitchen counter after snapping a shot to show you guys!!

The reason she said that was because as I was reading up on Cotis in anticipation of meeting with a prof. about them, I kept saying things like, "Hey hon did you know that garnets are rare!!"

*Edit* - she doesn't care, but she always listens lol! I got a keeper!

Originally Posted by earcutter

LOL - her fave would be the one that wasn't left on the kitchen counter after snapping a shot to show you guys!!

The reason she said that was because as I was reading up on Cotis in anticipation of meeting with a prof. about them, I kept saying things like, "Hey hon did you know that garnets are rare!!"

Earcutter --
If she stopped you in mid-sentence from saying things like that, would it be cotis interruptus?

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Earcutter --
If she stopped you in mid-sentence from saying things like that, would it be cotis interruptus?

PENALTY BOX!