i have the belgiums-now what?

okay gents-

i received my belgiums from howard yesterday and tonight i will be giving it a go! i picked up a 14 sq in bout coticule and a 4x2 blue. the bout was suggested by howard, it fits prefectly into my hand. i have two razors that i will be working on, a otto deutsch hans (looks a lot like a dd dwarf- 2.5") and a wapienica. both have been honed a bit on the 3 hone set from tilly and will pop a hair if caught at the right angle. they both shave but not very comfortably. so my questions are:
-should i start with the blue with just water? how many laps would yall recommend?
-move to the yellow with just water? how many laps?

nb- i didnt get a cotigura stone yet.... also i dont think that the toe on both of the razors are quite as sharp as the middle and heel of the blade.


any suggestion are welcome. i figure that this will be a ymmv type of deal but i am looking for general guidelines.

cheers,
ryan

ps- howard was very gratious with his comments and these stones look so cool! the yellow looks almost like wood grain- wish i had a dig cam.

just water. THIS i what I do with a coticule

And I've not needed to use the blue for the wapenica's yet. Just the yellow with alot of slurry.

thanks alex-
happy birthday btw! thanks for the link to the vid-i will check that out when i get home. will the yellow build a slurry without using the cotigura? how long did the va take to get shave ready on just the yellow?

cheers,
ryan

I find that the Wapenica's do build slurry by themselves. If you feel that it's not enough you can always use another (harder_ stone to make some. Or you can use waterproof sandpaper for that purpose.

As for how long...I really can't tell you. I do it all by feel...especially since every razor is different.

But it shouldn't take all that long if you get the technique right.