Thread: Only Have a Coticule

I can just parrot the synthetic bandwagon - anything goes wrong in the Coti (frequently), the Nanis just deliver the goods day in and day out. Norton seems economical and reliable as it gets. The only fancy part I'd consider, depends on how many blades you need to set bevels on. If you do alot, that chosera 1k deserves all the praise it gets. I tried, and love it. If the most critical part of the honing is the bevel, having some horsepower here is money well spent. After that, most important being the finisher which is subjective voodoo. If you bevel is good and that allows your coti to perform well - no need to spend more. The rest, they say, is vanity.

Gents,
Thanks for all the input. I decided on the Norton 4/8K with a prep-stone to make a slurry on the 1K side. I will lap them with wet sand paper (400 - 600 - 1000 grit progression), when I get them since I have granite counters - Finish on coti.

gssixgun - nice vids, PM'd you BTW.

Thanks all!

Originally Posted by Alpsman

Hello All,

Been away for a while, happy to see SRP still strong and growing. I have been using a 6"x2" yellow coticule solely for sharpening my blades. Although a great finisher and while I like the stone, feel it gives some inconsistent edges . . keenness?
....snip....

I used a coti for 20 years as my only hone.
Used it like a barber hone, 5-10 hone strokes
never lapped it never had a rubbing stone for it.

Then one day I discovered this gaggle of folk and
lapped my coti flat only to find that the hone and
the razor had grown old together. Like an old
man gets a back ache because his easy chair
got replaced by a new one that now matches
the rest of the furniture.

Tell us more about how you use your coti and
how many razors you use.

Have you added anything to your shave den that might
have upset things?

Others have mentioned the Naniwa 12k hone
and I can tell you from my experience that the Na12k
is a very good hone. It will do well with light
but relentless lapping to keep it close to flat.
Think half a sheet of paper as the max amount of
hone that needs to be "lapped". Do take
advantage of the slurry from the lapping process
as you hone. Dilute to clear water in a couple
steps to get the max effect out of your Naniwa
(same for the coti).

@gssixgun: Out of curiosity, have you ever set a bevel on a coti? I'm going through that process now of learning honing, and trying to set a bevel on a 40x150mm coti. I'd buy a Chosera 1k tonight if my budget allowed for it.

I really enjoyed your videos and learned a great deal from them.

Originally Posted by TZee

@gssixgun: Out of curiosity, have you ever set a bevel on a coti? I'm going through that process now of learning honing, and trying to set a bevel on a 40x150mm coti. I'd buy a Chosera 1k tonight if my budget allowed for it.

I really enjoyed your videos and learned a great deal from them.

Yes when the whole "Whatevercot" started back in 09 I tried it to see if it was an effective system, honing as many razors as I do, I will try anything that might work easier or better... The system works, but it depends on what Coticule you have in front of you and/or the slurry stone you are using... It just isn't consistent enough for me, the "One Stone Hone" system is pretty effective but again it lacks a high enough consistency for me.. For someone that is only honing their own razors you have time to re-hone them in if it doesn't come out quite right everytime...
There is a King 1k out there that I have used, in fact it is in many of my Vids, and I used it because it is the least expensive 1k I have found that works very very well...
I have seen the King 1k being sold for as little as $19, it will greatly improve your experience, and honestly I would not recommend spending $90 on the Chosera unless you are planning on going pro

I've considered the King 1k as I can get it locally at Wood Craft, but won't I also need a DMT 325 (D8C?) to lap it?

I'm using a La Dressante au Bleu, if that helps. How were you able to successfully set the bevel? Did you actually follow the [Uni/Dil]cot methods? I wish I had that scope that you're using right now so I can see how much I've foobar'd this edge that I'm working with. I tried looking at it with the Ratshack $11.99 illuminated 60x-100x scope with no luck. A good 30x is what I need but I'm not sure where to get one locally. I know that I can order from Widget Supply.

My coticule is an older Select grade finisher, it is very very smooth and very hard the slurry stone helps because it is much softer, but you are adding three new variables to the honing matrix...

The Slurry
The Slurry stone
The Dilution

Every new variable makes the climb up the ladder a bit steeper...

If you have the time you can make any stone work with these slurry systems, the trick is you have to have the time and the skills, two things that are at a premium for new honers..

As to a DMT 325, that is optional (sandpaper and a flat surface works too) but it comes highly recommended, it honestly is my most used piece of honing equipment...

Originally Posted by TZee

I've considered the King 1k as I can get it locally at Wood Craft, but won't I also need a DMT 325 (D8C?) to lap it?

I'm using a La Dressante au Bleu, if that helps. How were you able to successfully set the bevel? Did you actually follow the [Uni/Dil]cot methods? I wish I had that scope that you're using right now so I can see how much I've foobar'd this edge that I'm working with. I tried looking at it with the Ratshack $11.99 illuminated 60x-100x scope with no luck. A good 30x is what I need but I'm not sure where to get one locally. I know that I can order from Widget Supply.

A big DMT is nice but not required.
Invest in a couple 14"x14" granite tiles
and use them to lap you hones on.

The back is rough enough to gets most
water stones started and the front
flat enough to call it good.

The key is that the 1K and the hone
you follow with have the same profile
so even if you dish the granite
a little the Coti will have the same
curved surface that the bevel setter
has.

You can also find some wet/dry
abrasive paper (3M is a good brand)
and use that on the tile. Later
you can invest in a DMT.

I would note that the 15 micron
film at Woodcraft for the pinnacle
sharpening system is about a 1K
equivalent. Glue it to something
flat (yes a granite tile is good here)
and you have a bevel setter for
a couple razors per sheet.

A coti is soft enough that the film
will lap on it. Next to
the 15 micron is 5 micron film
and also 0.3 micron film.

Once the bevel is set you can live
on your coti for a long time.

Following up, I think along with a decent bevel setter like the Chosera 1k, and the necessary skill, one can obtain a fairly keen razor using a Coticule. I'm not arguing that synthetics are not good options, rather that Coticules are stellar tools in their own right. The butter smooth edges that they yield more than make up for the learning curve.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Having been through the "stone orgy" , as mentioned by Jimbo, I'm down to a Chosera 1k to set bevels, a Norton 4/8 and a DMT D8C continuous diamond plate for flattening my hones. That is my basic sharpening setup. I have a few naturals too but that is another story.

"Another story" -- say, Jimmy, just how many naturals would "a few" be?