Thread: A newbie perspective on coticules

@Gary:

My use of the Coticule is similar, I use a 1k-4k-8k Norton set up, then move to my Coticule... followed with 10 laps on a .50 CrOx bench strop the 15 laps on my CeOx bench strop...

This is pretty much my standard honing setup on the Sheffield Wedges that I sharpen for people... It produces a nice sharp edge, and the smooth finish of the Coticule limits the harshness that you can get off of those heavy wedges..

Originally Posted by gary haywood

If i was honing a dozen razoprs a day it would have to be nortons /naniwas etc. As i don't i don't mind using one of my coticules. I rebuild bevels with 325/600/1k naniwa. I have just been using .5 diamond spray with modular paddle at the end of my coticule honing with just 5 laps on .5, 0.25,5 laps on cr.ox. The shaves have been spot on smooth and not harsh at all, i found this gaurantees a shave ready edge first time round with out tinkering on the coticule. which in efect saves time and test shaves.

That is the thing, I was talking to Lynn on the phone the other day and he told me he had a whole bunch of razors to hone over this weekend. Between those for SRD, other vendors, and individuals razors. This is why you frequently see the mention of reliable and consistent results being the criteria for pro honing. When you've got a gang of them to turn out and folks who want them yesterday efficiency is key.

I've set a bevel with the coticule/slurry to prove that I could but my routine is the 1k level stone for that if necessary and the 4k level if that is all the edge needs. One way or the other, unless I'm just in the mood to go all coticule/blue, after the bevel is set I will sharpen on the synthetics and finish on a natural. Sometimes the coticule if I'm in the mood for that but mostly the Escher yellow/green here lately.

This isn't carved in stone (no pun intended) and I might be finishing on a Naniwa 12k or a Shapton pro 15 or 30k day after tomorrow. Just what is going on now and where the coticule fits in with me right now. I still think a new guy is better off with a Norton 4/8 or a Naniwa starter set until he learns his stroke, sharpening tests, and is successfully shaving with razors he has honed. Having gotten to that level a coticule is a great stone to have and to work with..... if you like honing razors beyond just getting a shave. Not that a guy couldn't get along with just a coticule but IME it is better to have it as an adjunct to a series of synthetics. Just IMHO.

Jimmy you say you use pyramid after 1k as set bevel. what are you starting at ie 25/25 .
I have 5 DA's. I'm going start playing around with my 4k/8k for a change.

glenn after you set bevel on 1k how many laps do you average on 4k only how many do you finish wioth on 8k.

The 4k/8k was my first hone but i never realy gave a much time as i did suceed with coticule so it just stayed where it was. I

Originally Posted by gary haywood

Jimmy you say you use pyramid after 1k as set bevel. what are you starting at ie 25/25 .
I have 5 DA's. I'm going start playing around with my 4k/8k for a change.

glenn after you set bevel on 1k how many laps do you average on 4k only how many do you finish wioth on 8k.

The 4k/8k was my first hone but i never realy gave a much time as i did suceed with coticule so it just stayed where it was. I

Gary, sometimes I start 30/30 and at other times 25/25. Another way that I have found good and that is less aggressive is here in the wiki. Starting with 15/5 and on with it as described in the article. I got that from Randydance and put it in the wiki. It works well too. It just depends on where the edge is at the start and how I intuitively feel about it. Here is an archived post by Glen with what I think is his method with the Nortons.

cheers jimmy

Originally Posted by gary haywood

cheers jimmy

Always a pleasure to talk honing with you Gary. Let us know what you think of the various ways after you've had a chance to work with them.

Well written and I am definitely glad you found a method that works for you. Success and confidence goes a long way with personal preference.

Out of the thousands and thousands of new people that we have seen struggle with learning to hone, there has always been the exception given any stone and especially when people are patient and not expecting immediate results. The more razors you hone and the more hones you try, the more you will continue to learn.

I am glad you feel that there is a place for synthetics. I feel there is a place for all stones. Maybe this is why I don't have the devotion to any one specific idealized hone.

Best of continued success...........

Lynn

Originally Posted by pcb01

My first honing setup was the Norton 220-1K-4K-8K, soon accompanied by a Guangxi. I struggled with these, but I had no mentoring other than the Wiki info and some videos.

For me, Bart's Unicot instructions were my most important tutorial. Maybe I should have appreciated that a bevel is not set until arm hair can be shaved, but I didn't get that until then. I was really lost when it came to when exactly to progress to the next finer hone (either by switching up the stone or diluting the slurry), and Bart's strict "30 on this, 30 on that, 50 on the next" instructions gave me the specificity I needed, and helped me hone my first shave-ready blade, which of course is a great confidence-builder for a newbie. His suggestion to create a double bevel helped me to visualize and understand for the first time exactly what I was trying to do with the bevel, and appreciate the multiple factors that go into sharpening a razor. Maybe it was just "time" for me to get it, and it would have happened if I'd just stuck with the Nortons a little longer -- hard to say.

Another thing worth mentioning, but which may be peculiar to me and the other Belgian stone lovers out there, is the beauty of these stones and the fact they are natural products. I remember sitting with my first coti-BBW natural combo and staring at it, touching it, admiring the grain, imagining the millions of years that went into it's creation, etc., for over an hour. To me it was a totem, a holy object, and still is. I always feel it is an honor for me to posess and use such a stone, and I take pride in using it well.

All this said, there is a place for synthetics, and I routinely use them -- now that I understand what I am trying to do, and how to judge my progress -- at least through the edge repair and initial bevel establishment. After that, though, it's naturals for me: Coti, BBW, Guangxi, Asagi, Kiita.

I have no argument with the idea of recommending Naniwas to newcomers. If I had it to do over, I might go that route myself. But one could do worse than begin one's honing career slavishly following Bart's instructions until the golden door of enlightenment swings open.

Originally Posted by Gary Haywood

Jimmy you say you use pyramid after 1k as set bevel. what are you starting at IE 25/25 .
I have 5 DA's. I'm going start playing around with my 4k/8k for a change.

Glenn after you set bevel on 1k how many laps do you average on 4k only how many do you finish with on 8k.

The 4k/8k was my first hone but i never really gave a much time as i did succeed with Coticule so it just stayed where it was. I

As always I hesitate to give lap counts, but you know what your doing Gary, so on average I would say 20 laps 4k, 20 laps 8k, very rarely less, I will add 5 laps at a time by feel, if I think it needs it... of course YMMV but I doubt by too much...

cheers glenn