Thread: Belgian Coticule as finishing stone?

When you have a razor that was properly honed on a 4k/8k Norton, what is the best way to finsh it on a yellow Belgian Coticule? It is said that with water only, the Coticule is about 10K to 12K grit. How many laps would be recommended? What are your experiences with a Coticule as a final polisher?

I don't have anything against pasted strops but I would love to be able to work with a Coticule only and get a keen and shave ready edge. Any feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks!

i am against to advise people to use how many strokes etc.
this is what i think.
1 usually there is hard to find exact hardness steel . 2 blades which is made in same company has different hardness sometimes.
2 nd Belgian coticles are natural stones and you will never find exact 2 coticles quality hardness etc.cutting quality
3 rd .Belgian's handy stone you can use it put final edge and get ok shave (fist use with slurry then slowly increase water amount)
But if you want to get great edge then you have to move up a little bit.escher's ,katayama (i have never used it) and pastes.
hope this information helps.

While I intend to experiment with some pastes and/or higher grit stones in the future, I presently finish with a coticule (water only) and lot of stropping and get what I believe to be very good results.

I think many of the members will tell you that you need a higher grit stone and/or paste if you're going for that nth degree of sharpness and smoothness, seeking the "perfect" shave, but you can definitely get a good edge that is suitable for daily shaving off of a coticule.

Number of laps with the coticule? I think you just need to experiment with your razor(s) and see where you get the best results. The common consensus is that you cannot overhone with a coticule but the law of diminishing returns will eventually kick in.

I have not been shaving for very long.
There are synthetics that could replace it.

If you are honing your own razors and you do not have a coticule, then you missing out on a pretty big thing

+1 with hi_bud_gl there are too many variables to advocate any 1 progression. Thats why many of us have many different hones. Although the yelow coticule is the most versatile hone out there and you should be able to finish almost any razor on it, I still would use a thuringian to finish, even after the yellow.

The yellow is probably the most versatile hone out there, that is it's true strength....
As a finisher it is good but not great there are plenty of stones that are probably better (keep in mind the last finish is a personal thing)

Also as you can read tons of threads on just this hone, you will find that it is a natural stone so they actually differ between stones, as to the final finish, so some people who happen to have bought a very, very, fine one will tout it's finishing capabilities, but that does not necessarily mean that the one you get is going to be as good...

As you have already heard above how many laps is to subjective to nail down.... To much of the "Art" in honing is in the hands of the honer...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

...you will find that it is a natural stone so they actually differ between stones, as to the final finish, so some people who happen to have bought a very, very, fine one will tout it's finishing capabilities, but that does not necessarily mean that the one you get is going to be as good...

I just got my second coticule and the difference between the two is night and day. My initial combo is almost too coarse and fast to use as a finisher, and the combo I got from Ardennes is slower and almost as fine as my Nakayama. Go figure!

That just means you need to buy a LOT of stones, otherwise you don't know what you are missing!

+1's on all that.

Read around and know what you are asking for- get a medium .

You will likely not get the finest shave-that's not what I meant when I say you'll miss out. Mine just gives a real shave like just enough tug so that you always know where the edge is while leaving as clean a first pass as you get

While it eats its way down in a scratch pattern with each stroke, a Coticule becomes increasingly slower. That's because the initial sharp peaks of the previous (Norton in your case) scratch pattern are easily abraded, but the flatter and rounder they get the less effective the Coticule with only water becomes. Without slurry a Coticule will never (within a humanly reasonable amount of laps) reach the valleys of the previous scratch pattern. Anyone can check that out with magnification.
Because of this, it really does not matter much how many laps you make, as long as you keep the pressure low, and do enough. I usually recommend 70 to 100. You won't overhone on a Coticule.
For the same reason it is imperative that you hit good keenness before the Coticule. Don't expect that a Coticule with water will make up for a lack of sharpness. With water, it "nicefies" the edge, rather than sharpening it.

I agree with Joke1176 on his observation, but we must not exaggerate those differences. Most Coticules sold for razor use, will be very nice finishers. Some are ultra-finishers, but I don't think the 8K offers the keenness to bother with those.

Bart.

If you email Rob at Ardennes and specify what you want to do with it he says that he can pick the hone appropriate for your needs. I have four coticules and they are all different but the differences are subtle with three of the four. One is harder then the other three and is a nice finishing stone. I love coticules and if I could only keep one hone it would be a coticule.