Thread: what is a coticule hone and 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.