Thread: And all of a sudden... I solved my coticule. (Slurry Dulling Convo Continued...)

The biggest problem with Coticules are that each one brings it's own puzzle for you to figure out. I've got mine dialed in (hard with no auto slurry) and it took a lot of trial and error and I can consistently get good edges from it.

I spent an afternoon once with a friend going through his 10+ Coticule collection, the conclusion was they were all different and some were way better than others and that maybe the "bad" ones needed a different technique to work well. That can be the fun and frustration with them.

It sounds like you cracked the puzzle in yours and that's not always easy!!

Well slurry, exactly how or why it works or does not work is one of those mysteries, as no one can see what is happening between the blade and the stone. There are some things we know works well, with some stones, but does not hold true across the board.

Making slurry and using it, can be an art form, in crushing / working and identifying slurries and carriers for different purposes and finishes. There is a good current thread on crushing coticule slurry and even more in the HOTD thread, with links to other old slurry threads. Reading/ feeling the slurry is as much experience, as making and using it.

So, the bottom line and the point Soldier was making is, there is much more to slurry and coticules than just rubbing two stones together and putting a finish on a few razors, and to making a blanket statement about slurry, natural stones in general and coticules in particular, it is presumptive.

The one thing you will learn from naturals is, that there is no consistency in any natural stone, some more so than others.

Coticules are one of the hardest stones to get to work well consistently, because of slurry and the wide variety in the stones composition. Most coticules work best with a very thin or without, any slurry, generally.

Besides, it sounds to me like you are proving his point, that a less thick slurry performed better for you. He’s not saying don’t use slurry or that it does not work, just that you have to experiment with your stone, your razor and your technique. Really you were finishing on a thin finely crushed slurry and then, clear water.

The other thing is what you think is a great edge today, will not seem like so much, a year from now, when you gain much more experience and get to know the nuances of your stone and honing and shaving technique.

Check out these threads and experiment with crushing/working your slurry.

Hone of the Day, post 930

Coticule Slurry on an Ark.

Originally Posted by Geezer

Simple trick:
Use a small Translucent Arky for a slurry stone. The little 1x3x¼" are great, smaller works well too. Harder than the Coticule, or most naturals and synthetics, they bring up a very nice slurry and/ or clean the stone.
~Richard

So you take an awesome Arkansas stone and grid it against any second rate rock hoping some good will rub off to fix the problem? This is like taking a good ale shaking it up and spraying the side of a beer truck to make everything inside taste better !!!
I'm just joking !!!!! Someone left the door open so I thought I would throw that mess in !!!!