Can't get a slurry with my Belgian Coticule

Still a beginner with honing. I have a Belgian coticule and a slurry stone purchased off of a member here but I try and try and seems like all I get is water! Why no slurry?

I soak the stones and then try and nothing seems to build up.:banghead:

How long should I rub the stones together?

My first opportunity to put in time for practice came during vacation. Even though I couldn't get slurry I worked with a cheap blade (A Gold Dollar) and got it to pop hairs off my arm after lots of strokes on the stone. However, it didn't take much off my face and pulled more hairs than it shaved.

I have no idea what type of slurry stone you have, pics help alot. Maybe your coticule is a lot harder than your slurry stone.
Do you have a DMT?
Show us some pics when you can.
If I'm not mistaken , you Belgian coticule ,,,yellow/blue ????, (if that's what you really have) is a mid to upper level stone. You should have been removing arm hair long before the coticule came into play.

Just guessing, you problem with sharpness, lies long before the coticule.

Here is a pic

Attachment 142484

At this point, this is all I have. So I started from scratch with it.

I was under the assumption that I could use it, based on the thickness of the slurry, all the way through the honing process.

Thats wierd, It really shouldnt be hard to get a slurry, rub and it should appear!

Also, i have never needed to soak my Coticule, i dony think its good to soak them.. (Someone else who knows coticule better will confirm this) and you have a few scratches on the large stone, is this a current pic or an old pic as it may need a little lap :)

I don't think your suppose to soak these. Just spray and go. Not sure about the slurry.....

you may want to ask the member you got it from...

You can soak them all you want, but I personally just give mine a rinse in the sink and go. For a proper slurry and to keep your stone flat, you need a diamond plate like a DMT8C. That's a 8" DMT diamond plate that is Coarse (325 grit). I really wish you newer guys would learn to hone on a synthetic stone before you jump into naturals, we can give you proper advice on a synthetic...a natural can be a LOT different as it's hit and miss with them due to every stone having it's own personality.

I had the same problem in the beginning with my first coticule. The answer was deceptively simple: try to not have the slurry stone completely flat on the hone. That or you can cut some shallow grooves (in the slurry stone). An uneven slurry stone surface works much better than a flattened one. Really, a DMT is not a bare necessity (although it works as well).

And coticules really don't need that much flattening, unless you keep raising really heavy slurry often.

For starters, I'd advise you to try this: http://coticule.be/unicot.html. It's not 100% fool proof, but it's a pretty good way to get a decent shaving edge relatively soon.

A low grit synthetic (1,000 grit) is advisable for establishing a bevel a bit faster.

Yes, coticules differ amongst each other, but some generalisations can certainly be made. It has less to do with counting strokes and much more with recognising different stages in sharpening. Which admittedly is tricky, I know, I really do. Which is why unicot was developed. It has worked for many, not in the least people just starting out.

Naturals aren't rocket science either, they just demand time and dedication. And good advice, of course. So if someone decides to start on naturals, I would hope they would get constructive help instead of being berated for choosing 'the wrong way'.

You can soak a coticule for 100 years and it won't make a bit of difference. It's not a porous rock. I don't think I'd use a coticule for heavy work. It's a finisher.

As you can read for yourself, there is a bit of contention over which is the "Best" way to start honing..

What I can tell you is not in doubt by anyone is that the bevel needs to be solid and well set, there is also no doubt that a Synthetic 1k (aprox) is the most effective way to do that.. What many new guys fail to realize is just how sharp a bevel set actually is, read this thread to get an idea

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-1k-shave.html

Keep in mind these are not Pro honers doing the 1k shave in the thread, just regular guys..

The other thing to keep in mind is what is the easiest way to succeed in attaining a shave ready edge, you might notice that the people that take their own time out of their day to help at the Meets and even invite people into their home to sit down and learn, inevitably near every time I have read about it use a synthetic progression to teach with..
Starting with a Coticule that you can't successfully create slurry with, tells me that you are going to have a long steep climb to get a shave ready edge..
My advice is to invest a small amount of money into a 1k and learn to set the bevel just like in the thread I linked you then and only then begin the journey of refining that edge...

Also keep in mind Coticules are all not the same, I would feel sorry for somebody trying to do any form of "Cot" on my Select grade finisher, in fact I just might let somebody try it at the next meet just to Vid the frustration that will come of it, especially a newb that has no clue how to use different Slurry stones on different Coticules to get the desired results...

+1 on the 1k shave, its the root of every good shave. even veteran coticule users will use a 1k stone to set the bevel then progress to finish on the coticule.

It might have something to do with the hardness of your stone. My coticule is fairly hard and barely releases any slurry no matter what. It's just the way it is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

It might have something to do with the hardness of your stone. My coticule is fairly hard and barely releases any slurry no matter what. It's just the way it is.

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... and if it is a very hard stone, that's a good thing, it might be a very fine finisher.

Other than that I can only agree with the "synthetic way" would get you going faster.

if you do have a very hard coticule, start with very little water then as you build slurry it'll get easier to make more

Make sure slurry stone edges are rounded and raise stone slightly rubbing on the rounded edge. You can find the high spots on the coti where there is a lack of suction when slurry stone is flat. Also don't add anymore water to stone until slurry appears and starts to become creamy, keep preasure moderate but not to much or could damage hone surface. Stop and dilute to suit purpose. Remeber after lapping on DMT to lap with another coti if possible to smooth down the surface.

I like to raise a slurry with the DMT as Deckard mentions and return the coticule to the dmt every so often to refresh the surface and pick up more slurry using only a few circles.

Wondering if you got your answer already?
Well I'm new here but I have been trolling for a few years. I would bet on that coticule hone being the harder side of the Les Latneuses vein. Which I believe usually are backed by slate. It's a good stone. I would suggest getting one or two different slurry stones. Many coticules can look identical but work in completely different ways. Keep trying. I'm sure it's hellova hone. A very fine slurry is actually a good thing in my books. Sorta like going from an 8k slurry stone to a 10k from a harder slurry stone and finish on water with a 12k Hard glass like coticule. I believe that's why jnats have become so popular. Same concept so it seems.

I been through 7 coticule stones. Only two of which I really like. La Veinette and a La Dressante veins. out of the few different slurry stones, I have the one that stands out. It's from the faster hybrid side of the Les Latneuses. The faster les lat slurry cuts fast on the hard slow La Dressante. After that I flip the slurry stone to the hard hybrid side and make slurry from the La Dressante hone. Like moving up the grit chart. Finish on water and hit the strop for a couple minutes or so. I really doubt I could find a better shave... It took me about 3 years to learn how to use these. That Dressante was actually my first coticule. I went through a few more without knowing I already had what I wanted to begin with. A good quality hone. Patience and lots of practice. Lots of reading. One good tip I picked up from another member long ago, not sure who....try and not count how many strokes or passes you make. Feel the hone.
Anyways I'll quit rambling. Thought I could share some experiences with you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You can soak a coticule for 100 years and it won't make a bit of difference. It's not a porous rock. I don't think I'd use a coticule for heavy work. It's a finisher.

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Agreed.. if it's a natural combo. Soaking a Coti glued to a backer leaves you vulnerable to the two stones separating.