Hard to say how valuable your help is
I'm sure some of the questions are nothing more than knocking off the ignorant sharp edges of a coti noob - and that's no small favor. I appreciate that a bunch. Some of the anxiety at my end is that it's not a cheap rock - about $300 delivered - it's big 7.01" x 3.01". I wanted big, 'cause my stroke is still developing, and the smaller the rock, the more cramped the stroke is and the more perfect it has to be to keep from undoing alot of work to get to the finisher.
It makes sense that swarf isn't really the factor in finishing (Thank You, Oz!). It does give a gage of speed - as the counsel to learn the asagi advised.
Bart suggested 30 strokes, stop & shave. If not there, try 50 more, which seems a good approach.
MarkinLondon: I LOVE CIRCLES! I've watched vids of Japanese barbers on Asagis and one post on the coti that does almost exclusively circles. It seems an effective way to do the main cutting/finishing quickly, correct a section that's not quite there, and its easier for me to keep smooth than a perfect lap on a small stone.
I won't be able to get multiple cotis for a while, but Bart says the Veinette and La Lateneuse are both very consisten, and have good speed. If I got a 2nd stone of one I already had, it would likely be another asagi that cut faster or was larger.
Patience Noob: hard to hear, but sounds quite realistic. The time it takes on the asagi can be odd, 'cause it doesn't seem to respond to the normal indicators of TPT and HHT. 'Won't lop a hair off the stone - but after stropping, its keen and butter smooth. I may be giving way more strokes than needed, but it definitely takes more than 100. I'll have to test 100, strop/shave, another 50, strop/shave to see where it needs to be. These long sessions are on very hard steel (wacker & williams).
The task at hand is connecting again w/ Maurice to get the transaction done and the clock ticking on the transportation time.
One of the bigger curiosities with the coti are for the heavy sheffields. I don't think I've ever had a good edge on one. They feel different on the face, but before concluding I don't like them, I want to try one that has a really fine edge - which most think is best done on a Coti.
'Sure appreciate your kind help.
yup, I'm testing on earlier stones and it comes through
Oz - I've thought the same, and gone after test results on 8k and the chinese 12k. 12k lops hair with aplomb - always has. I've not tried a full shave off the 8k, but I pay attention there, cause it seems like nothing's right later if it's not right there. I can shave off the 12k & have for 5 months. Until I tried slurry until bone dry and edge leading strokes on a crox grid on the slow side of the 12k, the edges were harsh. Slurry and crox tamed the harshness to some extent.
That would seem to point to some breakdown in the stoke on the asagi that undoes what was achieved on the 12k. Yet if I put in the time, it happens. As I mentioned, smoothness is all there with 100 circles, 50 stokes, but not that keen. Really good shaves, a vegan edge - doesn't want to cleave flesh at all unless I get really ham-handed. Roughly 150 more (were up into Arkansas stone stroke counts here) strokes, and all the keenness and the smoothness are there.
It seems wrong to me that it should take this many stokes, and I'd love to find the reason. Flawed stroke, hitting some bump or crack in the asagi surface - whatever it is - it keeps me working harder than it seems it should require. I'm suspecting its not on the earlier stones or I wouldn't get the HHT & shaves I get from them.
Again, I appreciate your kindness.