Thread: How do you use a coticule as a finishing hone?

i finish with water with 30 to 100 laps . after synthetic hone such as 12k . if its coticule progression from slurry to slowly diluting i will finish with 100 laps on water.

I sometimes have to scratch my head here. Maybe the coti's are changing or maybe the quality ones are gone I don't know. A few years ago they were the rage as finishers and people raved about them and lately it seems something is amiss with them. I have an 8x3 I got several years ago and it's my main finisher. I just wet it and use it and it seems to work magic for me with about 60 strokes or so.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

shapton 12k?

Lee, he might be referring to the Shapton Pro 12k. I have one and it is a neat stone. On the old Shapton USA website they said in their FAQ that it was meant for stainless steel. I don't think that is still in the new site.

I also have the pro 15k which I bought second hand from a guy who switched to the glass 16k. That is a darn good stone too. What is interesting is that the 12k and 15k pro stones appear to be identical.

Even though Shap USA had that thing in their FAQ they didn't sell the 12k. Only the 15. Japan Woodworker is where I got the 12k and according to Shap USA it is a Japan only stone. So I don't know whether they are the same with different printing but they sure look like it even under 45X magnification.

Originally Posted by gary haywood

i finish with water with 30 to 100 laps . after synthetic hone such as 12k . if its coticule progression from slurry to slowly diluting i will finish with 100 laps on water.

I finish in a similar way and do the same for touch ups.
A couple of rubs with the slurry stone, then dilute every 20 laps until I feel the razor gliding smoothly over the coticule.
At that point I rinse the coticule and razor, then do 50 laps on water only. With excellent results.
At least that's how my particular coticule seem to work best...so far.
Still learning it's nuances.

I used to use a Coticule exclusively for finishing. When I did, it was usually just 10-20 strokes with water on the surface only. I also used it following the 8K. After a few razors it does build it's own little slurry which I always left on the stone. It will work well, just not quite as consistent as some of my other stones and I do like the finish better with my Escher and a couple of my Japanese Naturals. That said, the Coticule is a very credible finisher in its own right.

Lynn

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

But, it really depends on the coti. There are variations in speed and fineness among them, some leaving slightly different finishes than others (an in different amounts of laps), so you really just have to try it out.

+1 for truth. ^

I have 2 cotis, one gives a fast cut and sharp edge, the other is slow and a good finisher. It all depends on the stone.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

shapton 12k?

It has some Japanese writing on top, then says
Shapton Ceramic Whetstone.

Then down the bottom it says
K0705
Cream-Super
Grit:12000
15mm

Made in Japan

Originally Posted by ndw76

I was going to sell my bbw/coticule because I rarely use it. But when I opened my draw of hones it sat there looking at me as if saying please don't sell me. So I have decided to keep it to use as a finishing hone.

So now I need to know, how do you use a coticule as a finishing hone and where will it fit in with my progression?

At the moment my progression starts with a 1k king stone for bevel setting. Then I go to 3k/8k Naniwa combo stone doing a pyramid. After that I do just five laps on a Shapton 12k. Would the coticule fit in after this or would it replace the Shapton? And how many laps?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Jimmy said it best:
"Nathan, it is time for a bit of experimentation"

One experiment to try is to use your 3k/8/12k hone set to
hone the blade and shave with it.

Reserve the Coticule to refresh the blade i.e. use it like
a barber hone when the edge begins to dull. Water or lather
only and a minimum number of laps (6-12) ... with a light hand.

By some measures a Coticule would dull the edge from your
12K but they are famous for giving a great shave.... and
with the bevel well set by your 4k/8/12k set a light touch
may bring the razor back to a stellar edge after a dozen
or so shaves.

Originally Posted by ndw76

It has some Japanese writing on top, then says
Shapton Ceramic Whetstone.

Then down the bottom it says
K0705
Cream-Super
Grit:12000
15mm

Made in Japan

That is a Shapton Professional 12K. Real good stone IME.