Thread: Coticule

I have recently been playing around with a coticule . Gradually diluting the slurry and finishing on plain water I could get my razor sharp but not sharp enough for a shave without any tugging . My honing technique is ok because I can get a super shave by using naniwa super stones or Norton 4 / 8 k . In desperation I used my coticule dry like a barbers hone for the final finishing doing about 7 x strokes and it worked a treat rewarding me with a great shave . Experimenting I dulled my razor and began honing again with the coticule with water and slurry and again finishing with 7 x strokes on water but got the same results as last time i.e. using the coticule dry for the final finishing ( 7 x strokes )was the only way to produce a comfortable shave .
As I am new to coticule honing has anybody experienced this with their stone . The only explanation I can think of is maybe the garnets are not held tightly in the stone and is too abrasive to be used with water to finish a razor.

The coticule has been used with water, lather, or oil for centuries. I suppose you are aware that any of the aforementioned are a 'vehicle' that lubricate, but most importantly, prevent the stone surface from loading up with metal particles. Getting glazed or clogged. I guess this is less important now than it used to be since most of us who are in it as a sport as much as a practical pursuit have lapping plates to clean the surface if need be.

Anyhow, I have never honed dry other than doing a touch up on a barber hone. So I don't know why it is working so well for you but assume it must be more abrasive dry than wet. More strokes and maybe a tad more pressure might bring the same results though ..... IMHO.

There are all kinds of Coticule from various veins that work in different ways.
On top of that on average they are in the 8-10k range, but some are lower than that, and some are higher.
General advise, assuming the edge is well done on the previous stage (slurry dilution), do more laps on the last stage with no slurry with the slightest of pressure. Some add a layer of tape to microbvel the edge on the last stage.

Coticules can make you pull out your hair. Many, many coticules are not higher in "grit" as your synthetic 8K. I've owned quite a few and have never gotten the edge that I can off of other naturals. One thing that will help to smooth your shave is to use a Oil-less honing "oil" on the coti for finishing. This will help some...