Thread: Coticule questions

I have a coticule, and recently got another one. I've attached a picture of them together (I'm kind of new to the camera, and photography in general, so the colours are off in the second picture). I should mention that in the first picture the bottom stone is placed with the short side against the top stone. The bottom one is 50x150mm and I think newer than the other one, the top one is 40x180mm and a bit darker (and actually a combination stone with belgian blue on the other side, something I hadn't realised when I bought it).

The thing is, it's not just difference in overall colour. The bottom one has all these light spots all over, while the top one hardly has anything like that. Also, the bottom one is two-coloured, half is quite light (right side), and the other is a bit more pink (left side). The top stone and the light side of the bottom stone both feel smooth, but the pink part of the bottom stone feels a little bit rough when you run your fingertips over it.


So, now I have two questions. It's not totally clear to me, do most people think that the older coticules make finer edges than the newer coticules? And secondly, should I worry about part of the newer coticule feeling rough to the touch?

You can't say older ones are better IMHO. In the past coticules were sold as razor hones and presumably only those were sold as razor hones that would hone razors well, if you understand what I mean.

Nowadays there's one quarry that sells them as fine hones but not specifically as razor hones. If you ask the owner, or e.g. Howard Schechter who distributes them in the USA for a razor hone they will give you a good one. If you just buy a coticule you might end up with a fine hone but not necessarily suitable for razors.

If a coticule feels rough it might just be the finishing not the quality of the stone. Just lap it with e.g. 400 grit sandpaper and see how it feels.