Thank you gents for all your comments.
I'll be looking at BST forum for Belgian hones and Nortons... I hope I can grab a good deal.
Thank you all
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Thank you gents for all your comments.
I'll be looking at BST forum for Belgian hones and Nortons... I hope I can grab a good deal.
Thank you all
The Norton combo is a good basic stone set. The belgian coticule would actually be used after the yellow side of the Norton (8K grit). I recently purchased one from "the perfect edge" and have been very satisfied with it. It has improved the edge om my blades significantly.
You will never overhone on a Belgian and you don't have to soak them either. All the action takes place on the surface of the stone and it's important to have a good slurry going for that reason. I'm now offering two sizes of cotigura (a term I coined a few years ago to set the coticule slurry stone apart from the japanese slurry stone but to also honor the Japanese tradition). The regular is $18 and is bigger than that which usually comes with, say, an Escher, and the Large is big enough to use as a small hone.
Thanks Howard et al,
Are the stones that you sell lapped?
I'm not sure if I should ask this here and carry on this thread or PM Howard instead - moderators, what do you think?
Sorry for digging this up again, but I don't suppose I needed to start a new thread.
I saw this store on eBay - Best-Sharpening-Stones - and I was wondering if you can tell me if this stone, a tiny Belgian Blue 4K they're selling will be any good. I'm asking this because for the price this looks a good item, of course it's a tiny stone, but I guess some of you are used to stones of this size too, I guess. I'm afraid to order some larger and more expensive stone and get held in customs - to release an item here you have to pay 40% of the declared value :cry:. So much for the USD-Euro exchange rates.
Thanks
Leon,
I really advice you to buy a yellow coticule, for sharpening razors. The blue is a bit too coarse to leave the fine edge most of us prefer. Furthermore it is very slow, completely incomparable with the Norton 4K. The only use a Belgian Blue seems to get by the people I know using it on razors, is as a mediator between a DMT1200 diamond hone and a yellow coticule.
If you can't find them in Portugal, you could try buying them directly from the quarry. They have an online store, but it's best to send them e-mail, and tell them what you seek. They 'll cut you a better deal than the pricing on their online store.
There's no need to buy a large one, many people prefer narrow hones, because they allow for better contact with the blade. Don't bother with selected vs standard quality: the difference is purely cosmetic, but if you intend to use it for anything more than finishing (polishing) purposes only, do ask for a fast cutter, in your e-mail. I have visited the quarry and received a two hour guided tour. Believe me, they do know the difference in cutting speed throughout their stock. If money is tight you can buy an irregularly shaped "bout" instead of a rectangular hone. They are cheaper, but again: no difference in performance. Just ask for a bout with one long side (tell them it's for straight razor honing)
Ardennes Coticule - pierres à aiguiser et moellons de Vielsalm Belgique.
I don't think you'd have customs department issues with shipment within EU.
Best regards,
Bart.
Thanks Bart, I'll contact these folks at Ardennes.
The answer to your original questions is:
Only if you want to.
I also think it depends on which country you're in.
I've had several packages with a declared value of 300 - 500$, and never had to pay more than the 10 euro flat-rate-cant-be-bothered-to-fill-in-the-import-paperwork fee.
And other times I don't have to pay even that.
Luck of the draw determines IF customs looks at your package here, and if they do, they usually slap you with the 10 euro fee I mentioned. At least for razors / strops / stones.
I've heard that they are more zealous with electronics (buying PDAs in the states) etc