Thread: Coticule help please

Originally Posted by PipefitterJohn

Appreciate that, thanks! I guess that's the reinforcement I needed to hear, just to keep me from going out and buying a different set of hones to get a "shavable" edge. If it shaves and doesn't irritate, I guess that will do until I can get proficient with the coticules.

One thing you need to remember is that if you are only going to be maintaining a razor/razors, you don't need a full set of stones. what I mean by a full set is, a stone that starts with a low grit as well as more stones that gradually go up in grit rating sometimes even all the way up to 16k or higher. A full set like that is only needed if you are having to set bevels and work your way through the grits to get a shave ready razor. usually only people that like to restore razors or hone razors as a job for customers will need all those stones. in your case, you have 2 razors that are shave ready by the sounds of it and as long as you take care of them properly and strop them, you really only need one high grit stone such as your coticule too give the razors a little touch up once in a while if they need it. you shouldn't have to buy more hones really......sorry i am blabbing on here lol, just hate to see people thinking that they need so many different hones to maintain a straight razor. I'm sure you will come to love your coti very much and will be able to maintain and keep a great edge on your blades. I hope all goes well for you, cheers!
shayne.

You know what? I take it back! I forgot that my credo is never to ever encourage anyone to buy more hones. Have that fellah at the apocathary hone a blade for you on the naniwas again, and test against that first. That'll be like 20 bucks I'm guessing. Gotta say I'm a little surprised that someone at a razor place wouldn't know anything about coticules. That's damnable in my book.

There are differences in Coticules even within Veins, as mentioned. Dressante, La petite blance, la grosse blance, Les Let are all supposedly great all around coti's, but these are natural stones. No two are exactly alike. Each vein has different layers, etc....I'm no geoligist, but I do have quite a few Coticules, Heck, I used to sell them. I can tell you they differ from stone to stone, and can be daunting to a new honer, much like Jnats.

Usually the harder stones are better finishers, and softer ones are better cutters. You can scratch the surface with your fingernail, If you see nothing, it's hard. If you see it very distinctly, it's soft, etc...This test makes more sense when you have handled many coticules.

Raise a slurry, and do your half strokes, see how long it takes the slurry to darken, that's a good indication of it's cutting speed. Darkening slurry usually means metal is being removed.

Wow, you guys are really a big help. Yeah, I was surprised when the guy at the store wasn't familiar with coticules either, but could be that he has a system that works and he figures that it's good enough. It's a great place though, they have all the good soaps and a plethora of other European grooming products and such. I think I will turn off panic mode and just hold off on a new hone for a bit and work with my coticules. When I scratch the surface with my fingernail, I can see a white scratch mark pretty easily. Also, I think it cuts pretty well, as I get a good grey slurry pretty quickly. Maybe I should try less laps when I'm diluting or more water to see if maybe I've been overhoning the ede.

it is practically impossible to overhone a blade with a coticule.

take your time from beginning to end. try honing it without raising a slurry and using a bit of dish soap mixed into your water.

it takes a few strokes to hone a straight razor and one bad pass to ruin your edge.

Originally Posted by Wajiro

it takes a few strokes to hone a straight razor and one bad pass to ruin your edge.

So true. My coticule is 1.5" wide and took alittle practice to get used to. There was a couple times where I got right to the last few strokes and tried to rush and I tilted the razor and ended up running the edge along the corner. Needless to say I ended up having to redo everything after that. I found if I started to want to rush or was honing for awhile and was getting tired of doing it it was better to stop and walk away and let myself cool down for awhile before going back. Patience, patience, patience that is key.

Originally Posted by PipefitterJohn

When I scratch the surface with my fingernail, I can see a white scratch mark pretty easily.

Yeah, your stone looks just like mine which is a La Grise. It's a softer stone & will give a nice mellow edge, but they require a lot of patience. I know that when I first got mine, I was convinced that coticule honing just wasn't for me; could not get a decent edge to save my life!

Then slowly but surely, I experimented with circles, varying the pressure & dilutions, and everything started to click. It takes a while though; definitely not something you can just sit down and do....don't worry though, you'll get there!

Originally Posted by PipefitterJohn

I think I will turn off panic mode and just hold off on a new hone for a bit and work with my coticules.

There's been a lot of good feeback, but I think this is the best piece of advice of all so far - and you've given it to yourself. Here's WHY I think it's the best advice so far:

The very first thing you said in your opening post was "I'm new to straight shaving and to honing." Then, just a few lines later you stated you seem to be getting decent edges and decent shaves, 'but don't have anything to compare to except my Dovo when it was new'

In essence, you're aiming for a goal (HHT) with...

• no honing experience...
• on a type of hone that is absolutely wonderful but can be one of the most time-consuming to learn...
• AND, you're trying to do it without any real baseline/foundation to work from. i.e. you've only experienced one 'shave-ready' edge from one person

I'm not saying the apothecary can't put a good edge on a razor. But while his may not be a bad edge, it may not be a great edge either...

My advice would be to:

1. Stick to your decision to 'turn off panic mode and keep the coticule for now'
2. As long as it seems to have a decent edge on it, use your Dovo as your regular shaver
3. Take $35 or $45 of the money you just 'saved' (by not jumping to the conclusion that you have to buy more hones) and pick up a cheap shave ready razor (or TWO) from the classifieds or someplace like Whipped Dog - i.e. from someone known on the forums as being a bit of a honemeister - and experience a second 'shave ready' edge so that you'll have a clearer, more defined goal of what a shave-ready edge can be
4. Use that cheap razor as your practice blade for learning how to release the full and magical potential of your coticule

If you give yourself a stronger, wider foundation to stand on when you take aim at your honing goal, you'll stand a much better chance of not only hitting it, but also recognizing that you've hit it.

Just my humble two cent, hope it helps...

Best of luck - keep at it and your efforts will definitely pay off.

For the record, I NEVER pass the hanging hair test. Not even with a razor honed by Gssixgunn

Originally Posted by sleekandsmooth

in your case, you have 2 razors that are shave ready by the sounds of it and as long as you take care of them properly and strop them, you really only need one high grit stone such as your coticule too give the razors a little touch up once in a while if they need it.

Totally agree. I've been maintaining my edges with a coticule that looks similar to yours (I bought mine from Jarrod too, about 6 months ago), and I've been getting great shaves off it. I never make a slurry; just do about 10-20 X-strokes with lather to refresh the edge.

I've also got a Norton 4/8, and I use the 4k side if the edge gets too dull. But normally I don't need to do that.

Originally Posted by Magpie

For the record, I NEVER pass the hanging hair test. Not even with a razor honed by Gssixgunn

Pretty much same here, although my razors were passing the HHT when they came back from Oz. Personally I'm not too concerned about any of the sharpness tests besides the shave test--i.e., the one that matters.