Thread: what is a coticule hone and slurry?

http://www.coticule.be has a LOT of info on all things coticule if you're so inclined..

Hello Gents

Thank you all for the replies, very informative and helpful. Much appreciated.

With regards to slurry stones is it best to hone with just water and then hone with a slurry to get a finer progression or should I do it the other way round?

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Obamabeard

Hello Gents

Thank you all for the replies, very informative and helpful. Much appreciated.

With regards to slurry stones is it best to hone with just water and then hone with a slurry to get a finer progression or should I do it the other way round?

Cheers.

Slurry is usually used at the start rather than at the end. Some guys start with a thick slurry and dilute to thin, finishing with a very diluted mix. Others start medium to thin and dilute to almost clear, or rinse to no slurry once the razor is at the 'right' place. It really depends on the condition of the razor and what you are aiming to accomplish.

Depending on what stones you have I almost think it is better to learn the fundamentals without using slurry until you've got strokes, muscle memory and pressure learned. One step at a time. Once you feel good with basic honing begin to experiment with slurry. Thick, thin ..... IME the early stages of learning to hone are sort of going through the motions in faith that what you've read about here will work, but never really "knowing" what you're doing. Success leads to confidence and less frustration. So at that stage start adding more techniques into the routine.

You'll have a better feel for what is working because you're mastering the different parts of the skill one at a time. Doing it all at once makes it harder to discern what worked out of the whole shebang. Anyway ....

Do coticules come in certain 'grits'? Like can you get an 8K coticule? Or is the 'grit' determined by the consistency of the slurry?

A coticule is a coticule. The fineness is always something that needs to be discovered for each stone. Though as I said before they do fall into a range, and they are mined from veins with apparent property differences too. Guaranteeing a grit (eg: "buy this 10k coticule) with a natural stone is always a hazardous process, and I'd be asking a lot of questions of a seller who does so.

Slurry can be slightly more complex than initial impressions may lead you to believe. Some stones abrasive bit will break down into finer abrasive bits as they get knocked around and crushed etc when honing - people call these friable grit hones. Clearly, slurry from these stones can not only be used initially to help speed things up, but also toward the end to help smooth things out and create a finer finish.

I'm pretty sure coticules don't really fall into the "friable" grit category, at least not in the same way that Japanese natural stones do, although I guess with enough work a garnet will either break down or smooth out eventually.

James.

Originally Posted by Obamabeard

Do coticules come in certain 'grits'? Like can you get an 8K coticule? Or is the 'grit' determined by the consistency of the slurry?

Great info from Jimbo. If you check the Ardennes website (The quarry) they say the Coticule is around 8k, and the Belgian blue stone is around 4k. This is subjective because they are naturals. I have several Cotiucles and each has different properties. The slurry can speed up the honing process, but not change the grit of the stone, that's impossible.

Like any other natural stone, buying them is a crapshoot. Most vendors don't have the time to individually test each stone they sell, so you may get a fast one or a slow one. If your looking to maintain a razor, and are new to all of this, especailly honing. You may want to learn on a synthetic hone, like the Norton 4/8k or even Naniwa's. Once you get some experience under your belt, and know what to expect, then look at naturals. Just my two cents.

On the other hand, If your razor is shave ready, and you use a Coticule with just water, you can probably maintain that razor. Either way, there's a learning curve.

From what I hear, most of the Coticule being mined, and sold today are hard finishers, mostly "La Grise" vein.

I tend to use a 1K synthetic stone to set the bevel then go to a coticule. Getting the best out of a coticule is approaching alchemy, getting a decent shave ain't too hard.

I've heard some assign different grits numbers to different coticules, I've heard others say a top notch shave is achievable from almost any coticule providing you adapt to the stone. If you are intrigued by them buy one and play around with it, if you don't like it it shouldn't cost you much as they hold their value fairly well. They have been used by people who like sharp things for a very long time, there is a wealth of info on them online and there are a lot of fans willing to help you get he best from them. http://www.artisanshaving.org"]Artisan Shaving seems to be where many of the Coticule.be forum contributors went when the coticule.be board closed.

Thanks for all the info guys, much appreciated!

I do have experience with honing, I have a 12K natural stone and have been using that for the last few months to just maintain my razor and have been getting good results. My interest in coticules was mainly just curiosity. I have heard a lot about them and just wanted to learn more. I'm thinking of buying just a very small one (cheap as possible) and just having a play around with it and use it just to maintain my razor and then use it to do more substantial work when I buy my 2nd razor. How much would it cost for a small coticule to get me started and where can I purchase one from? I'm in the UK.

Cheers.