Thread: Ever wear out a coticule or slurry stone?

Originally Posted by HNSB

I just know what works best for me. I'm not even 100% sure why it works the best; I just know that it does.

+1, that is where I am at with this honing and shaving. I don't know why but if it works I don't spend too much time trying to dissect it .

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

+1, that is where I am at with this honing and shaving. I don't know why but if it works I don't spend too much time trying to dissect it .

Although I agree with both of you on this statement 100% Think about how you got to what works for you???

These discussions and dissections and sometimes even heated arguments are sometimes what opens your eyes to the next step that works even better for you....

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Although I agree with both of you on this statement 100% Think about how you got to what works for you???

These discussions and dissections and sometimes even heated arguments are sometimes what opens your eyes to the next step that works even better for you....

That is true Glen and I agree with that too. What I mean is .... tell me that a 45 degree angle and a heel leading stroke or 40 circles works and I understand it and I try it. Tell me that this edge was done with x amount of microns and photographed at 300x and I start to get a headache. I don't have the technical mind to delve too deeply into the science but I'm more into the hands on approach. Both have their merits and I will get the hands on application from the guys who do have the technical approach when it eventually shakes out ..... If that makes any sense at all ?

Originally Posted by gssixgun

These discussions and dissections and sometimes even heated arguments are sometimes what opens your eyes to the next step that works even better for you....

For sure!
A better statement might have been, "I know what works best for me right now." The only way to know what works best is to compare it to other things that don't work as well.
I'm always trying something new. (read: sinking money into something new. )

*I think* the reason the coti's are working better for me is because they are narrower than the synthetics that I've used. That makes it easier for me as a honing newbie to keep the bevel and edge in contact with the stone on a wonky blade. (wonky is a great word that I picked up in the chat one night, I've been patiently waiting for an opportunity to use it)
Perhaps this is a band-aid for less than ideal technique, but it works for me.
I'm going to try some ripped synthetics to see if I can get better results from there.

What I meant by the above though, is that I don't know for 100% certain that it's the narrower stone that makes the difference. For all I know it could be that the spirit of the rock puts me into a zen-like state where I am able to hone better.
I doubt it though.

So... Is discussion important? Absolutely. It leads me to try new things. When I try new things I evaluate whether they work better or worse than the things I was doing before. (Also, I'm not resistant to switching things up on a case by case basis as needed... if there's one thing I've learned here, it's that there is not an absolute best way to do everything every time.)

Bottom line: keep the discussions coming. I like to think that I've come a long way in a relatively short time. That wouldn't have been possible without all the help I've gotten from everyone here.

better be careful. I happened upon a 6x 1.25 inch coti. I liked it narrow and at the time there was some talk of narrow stones here, so I figured i must be one of those narrow hones guys.

next thing I knew i was cutting one stone into two and others to match . Even if they ended up on the short side i still enjoy them. nice for maintenance: plenty of lap, rub and slurry stones.

That is a lovely photo Kevin.

As far as narrow hones, I like mine and all but I've gotten to where I seem to be able to do whatever I need to whether it is a 3" wide or a 1" wide. With some exceptions but more often than not.