Thread: First time using a coticule

Well...

I thought I had something. I worked with it for another 45 min or so. It felt a little sharper after that. So I went ahead and got ready for the day and shaved my normal way. The razor was not sharp. It might be a little better than when I started but not much.

This is really bumming me out, looking at posts where people touch up their razors in 15 laps on a stone and it takes me half a day and nothing....

Hi!

I'm not an expert on this honing thing but I think you have to make the slurry before you start honing the razor. Do you have a Nagora stone? The little stone to make the slurry? That slurry is the abrasive thing, that's what does the real cutting. If your razor was dull you'll need to make the slurry. I suppose the razor on it's own, no matter how long you hone the razor, will not create a slurry. After honing the razor with the slurry you might finish it of with a few laps with water only as to give you a fine edge. At least that's what I heard...

But hey! I am defenitely no expert! Some of the more oexperienced guys will pop up in no time and give more information, don't worry!

Welcome to this community!

I just got a coticule as well. I have three razors. I got two nicely honed I think, but I spent a while at it. I have no idea how many strokes but in one case where the razor was dull worked on it for a couple of nights, maybe an hour per night. The other wasn't very dull and I think it was one night, but again probably for an hour. I do have a cotigura stone and did about half the work with a slurry and half just wet.

My third blade is a fillarmonica with a smile so my first attempt to make it sharp didn't get me there. So I know I have some work to do, both getting all three sharp, and in getting the other two sharper faster next time.

But I'm feeling good with getting 2 or 3 sharp in my first week at this. I think it's a skill we have to pick up.

The coticule is a finishing stone and that is what it is best at. In general if you have to do much more than 20 minutes your really spending too much time and a lot of guys will give a razor like 20 strokes or so and that's it. If you need to do like hundreds of strokes you probably should back up to the 8K. There are instances with certain types of razors and steels where you might have to do a lot of honing on the coticule but that's more the exception than the rule.

So if you are doing all these strokes and nothing is happening then either your doing something wrong or your razor is really dull. As far as slurry goes you really should have a slurry stone. If the stone you are using is softer than the coticle your slurry will be from the slurry stone. Usually a slurry stone is a small piece of the same thing as the honing stone. With most stones though as you hone you do develop some slurry as the blade contacts the stone. I have a slurry stone with my coticule but I never use it. Some have said the stone cuts more aggressively with the slurry stone.

My own experience is that the coticule only cuts at a decent rate with slurry - this after all is how it is meant to be used, as the slurry contains the garnets that do the actual cutting. Oddly enough, I do get very good results from the coticule's 'poor cousin' (or so it seems sometimes!), the BBW or Belgian Blue whetstone. This has a totally different 'feel' then the coti yet in effect is the same stone with less garnet density - yet for some blades it is the absolute vicar's you-know-whats (wapis spring to mind!)

I would agree with Spendur that if you are spending the time you are doing on the coti then you need to step down to something with a bit more grunt to re-establish the edge, then finish by going to the coti then maybe to 10k or 12k polishing hone, or, failing that, a red strop. Hope this helps!