Thread: For guys who have a hard time getting a good coticule edge

I always finish on clear water. Wipe the stone. Wipe the razor and then proceed to hone however many strokes it takes. None of my hones require me to rinse/wipe the stone every 5 strokes. Even the softest stones. I tried your method and the edge improvement wasn't there. It was already great with out all the unnecessary work. Imo. Of course our stones aren't the same but I've got 8 and all from different veins and unlike each other in every way possible. This isn't to say your method doesn't work and I'm sure it will help some. Maybe I just didn't see any benefit because I already maximized my edge. I'll try it again on my softest coticule.

I dilute heavy when I'm doing midrange work. Love working with slurry. As often as I can. I'd sound like a broken record if I said what I do and it doesn't add too much to where the thread is going. To me at least.

But my findings as of late are like soldier's: regardless of how I get to the finish line, I can't cross it without no dilution water laps. I need to throw in the last ~100/150 laps to max out all my coticules (I only have 4 Wahhhhh). With some light torque I can really get things going. The difference to me was pressure.

I'm not sure if the running water thing is auto slurry or just so much fluid on the home it produces a suction.

Even more interesting — I was cleaning an ark last night, and taking a look at my 130 x 70 coti — it's glazed really bad. It looks like a burnished ark. But the corners where I don't hone are not. I know how to get the glaze off safely and easily, but perhaps it adds to the discussion. Maybe a clogged coticule has something to do with it? Just a thought.

Again guys, it's just another thing for those that are having trouble to try. If your stone is doing better with your method, then perhaps you have already found your coticule's optimum finishing procedure. No one method will be the best for every stone - IMO coticules are one of the most varied natural stone types in terms of particle size, hardness and speed, so there are many and varied ways to achieve the optimal edge, depending on the individual stones' characteristics.

The coticules I liked best and thus kept are both almost ridiculously fast - for example 5 laps on plain water already produces significant/very visible trails of black swarf.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Does it really matter if the edge is good ?
It would seem that little / no slurry is not an impediment to a good edge.

Actually yes it does. Metal that gets removed also scratches the edge from the blade it was removed, so maybe your stones that don't "auto slurry" have garnets that are heavily broken and metal embedded.

The combination of both could be the culprit as to the better shave edge off some coticules. Makes me wonder, isn't steel oxide used to polish? maybe old metal oxidizes and then embeds itself in coticules and the oxide plus garnet combo does the better job. So many variables.

Originally Posted by eKretz

Again guys, it's just another thing for those that are having trouble to try. If your stone is doing better with your method, then perhaps you have already found your coticule's optimum finishing procedure. No one method will be the best for every stone - IMO coticules are one of the most varied natural stone types in terms of particle size, hardness and speed, so there are many and varied ways to achieve the optimal edge, depending on the individual stones' characteristics.

The coticules I liked best and thus kept are both almost ridiculously fast - for example 5 laps on plain water already produces significant/very visible trails of black swarf.

Ekretz, I believe sir, that coticules are desired for the finished edge, we shave off. If I bought a select coticule and it showed black in the slurry after a dozen strokes. I'd send it back. I use a range of cotis, sometimes use more than one when finishing, but my last stone is the coti. A stone that is dark with slurry after 12 strokes is a 'bevel setter' not a finisher

Not for me, I'll take a fast stone any day. I've had both ends of the spectrum and much prefer a faster coticule. The cutting speed can easily be tempered by bringing the stone surface up even smoother than just using a diamond plate and rubbing stone (up around 2k or so is good), that in addition to the method I outlined in the first post gives great edges. I just don't use slurry with mine so they stay nice and polished. I always have the alternative though if I want it - can't say the same for the slow stones. The key is having a fast, fine coticule. For example, even a Suehiro 20k will leave swarf in very few laps.

Originally Posted by eKretz

Not for me, I'll take a fast stone any day. I've had both ends of the spectrum and much prefer a faster coticule. The cutting speed can easily be tempered by bringing the stone surface up even smoother than just using a diamond plate and rubbing stone (up around 2k or so is good), that in addition to the method I outlined in the first post gives great edges. I just don't use slurry with mine so they stay nice and polished. I always have the alternative though if I want it - can't say the same for the slow stones. The key is having a fast, fine coticule. For example, even a Suehiro 20k will leave swarf in very few laps.

Agreed slow coticules for me drives me crazy. Unless it's my slurry free coticule. I don't mind the slowness there

The SG20, does leave swarf after 12 or so strokes. But the difference here is that you ONLY do 12 laps on it. I can only imagine, you do more than 12 strokes with your coticule?

My La-Veinette auto slurry's after a few strokes, 2-4 passes, have trouble getting the legendary edge so Bobski might be right, a better bevel setter.

Where the coticule helps me is rubbing it on my Vermio, Perfection from the two joined, then dilute till I Final finish on Vermio with oil or water.
Still working with my little coticule, sometimes it takes a pro to show what they can do, which I have never had an Mentor with honing or seen another person hone a razor in person.

Glen will get a ton of questions from me when I finally get up to visit with him.

Originally Posted by FAL

My La-Veinette auto slurry's after a few strokes, 2-4 passes, have trouble getting the legendary edge so Bobski might be right, a better bevel setter.

I requested a hard, fast finisher from Ardennes & that's what I got.
Black swarf in about 10 strokes on water & a shaving edge similar to most 12ks.