Thread: Help Identifying Hone

Hello all,

I have recently taken the plunge into straight razor shaving, and when may father heard he gave me all his fathers old shave gear. Among this was a hone (I think) but I am not sure what is was for, as it is not very flat, although my father assures me it was in almost daily use (my grandfather was a barber).

Pictures should be attached, and help would be greatfully received.
It is 2" by 9" in size.

Cheers,

DK

Easily identified. That's a very nice looking natural Belgian Coticule stone. The hairline "cracks" in the "yellow" coticule surface are of no consequence if you can't feel them with your fingernail. Oftentimes the "cracks" in coticules are not cracks at all and instead are streaks of a naturally occurring oxide. Other times, cracks were filled at the factory mine with a mixture of coticule powder and a glue binder. The "Blue" side (actually a purple) can also be used for honing and is of a coarser grit.

You should lap the surface flat before using it.

A very nice stone. Belgian Coticules are one of the premier razor hone stones in the world. They're all good and can even be exceptional.

That stone in that size would be worth in the range of $150-$300 U.S. dollars.

I hope it's not bonded to the wooden box. If it is, the stone would be valued in the lower end of that range or maybe closer to $100 given that the blue side would not be available for use.

Is the stone 2"x9" or the box dimensions? If they're the box dimensions, what are the dimensions of the stone?

Chris L

Wow,

Thanks for the swift reply, and yes I'm afraid it is bonded, I may investigate 'unbonding' in that case. The cracks have no physical manifestation, but the surface is a bit uneven. Probably my most useful heirloom!

No excuse for not honing my own (eventually) then?

DK

Originally Posted by thegreatdk

Wow,

Thanks for the swift reply, and yes I'm afraid it is bonded, I may investigate 'unbonding' in that case. The cracks have no physical manifestation, but the surface is a bit uneven. Probably my most useful heirloom!

No excuse for not honing my own (eventually) then?

DK

DK, I would be careful in trying to free the stone if at all. The yellow coticule layer is quite soft and fragile. You'll always see the yellow coticule layer either:
1) cut in its natural state as yours is with the bordering "blue" stone layer left in its original state for reinforcement.
2) Physically bonded to a separately cut Belgian Blue stone with some form of adhesive at the mine. This second process is no longer used at the active mine in Belgium meaning any stone seen this way is a "vintage" stone.
3) Physically bonded to a black slate separately cut substrate. This is the process used today at the active mine.

Maybe the older glues were heat sensitive as hide glue is and if you found a safe way to heat the stone/box you could try to see if the stone releases from the box. If not, I would not personally mess with it. The blue side is not critical.

You should be proud of that heirloom knowing that it's a very fine piece and it's absolutely usable after lapping it flat which is simple to do.

Chris L

Chris,

Message received and understood.
I'm an engineer, so my tendancy is to try and improve everything I find, usually with negative consequences!

Cheers,

DK

I agree with everything Chris said. While I also tend to "improve" things, and I doubt it would be difficult to separate the stone from the wood case, I would suggest that you should leave it as is for the simple fact that it has a family history in the state that it currently is in. The yellow side is the valuable side and while freeing the blue side from the case would allow you to use both sides, personally I would prefer to leave it in the state you grandfather used it. If you want a blue coticule, just buy another one because they are much cheaper than the yellow coticule.

Utopian has a good point. OTOH, if you do want to free the stone up soaking it in water for a day or two would probably release it. I doubt the glue is waterproof. The blue side could then be lapped and usable. You might email Howard at the Perfect Edge. He is a geologist and an expert on hones. I suspect he has confronted this problem in the past. hschechter@theperfectedge.com