Thread: belgian coticules

hmmm, 85€ is quite an amount of money, probably a lot more than I'll be able to/want to spend.

I might take up their honing course though, 15€ is a very reasonable price for learning how to hone properly.

Harold

I show you if you want how you shaving you but....i live in Oost-Vlaanderen. Send me a private message becuase my English is not so good

Randy, when you use the blue and yellow together, do you use a pyramid?

Originally Posted by randydance062449

First off, I really like natural stones and the edge they give on the razor... The blue stone, when used with a slurry, is very good as a medium stone. It is slower than a Norton 4000 but I like the resulting edge better.

Originally Posted by dylandog

Randy, when you use the blue and yellow together, do you use a pyramid?

You can if you want to but there is no rule that says you have to. That being said there are people who do use a pyramid utilizing the Norton 8000 and Belgian Coticule or Escher and it works well.


Hope this helps,

So you just hone on the blue til it passes the thumbnail test, then go to the yellow through the HHT?

Originally Posted by dylandog

So you just hone on the blue til it passes the thumbnail test, then go to the yellow through the HHT?

It can be done but it is slow. Ask Hoekmanx(Theo)!

The thumnail test would tell you if all the nicks are gone, and if the bevel is formed uniformily along the entire length of the edge.
Once the razor passes the thumbnail test I would stay on it for a while longer, say 25-50 laps before I went on to the yellow stone. Be sure to use a slurry with each side. If you expect to have a shaving edge after 25-50 laps on the yellow then your dreaming. It is not a fast cutting hone for either side. But the resulting edge is very nice. The edge can be further refined by using a paddle strop pasted with 0.5 micron paste. I prefer chrome oxide over diamond.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

The light colored partof the stone needs to be yellow/tan/cream in color with no speckels or lines. Not an off color gray or shades of blue showing thru or anything else. Just a plain yellow/tan/cream color.

How important is it that it be free of lines or speckles? I just bought one from Howard that's a nice yellow, is supersmooth, but it has a grain to the eye alright. Looks like a hunk of Italian parmesan, faint white 'scales' on buttery yellow.

I think Tony somewhere said this kind of thing wasn't supposed to be a reliable indication of grit or quality.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Also, be sure to get a slurry stone for you Belgian stone. Thats how they work best.BTW, a slurry stone is also called a rubbing stone.

Do you need a rubbing stone? Can you just wet the stone and start honing and work up the slurry?

Dylan,
I did post something to that effect a while back. I had stones which met all the criteria but were very coarse cutting and others similar to what you described that performed very well. I had even sent these stones to several of our resident experts to try and they had similar results. The model of a perfect stone turned out to be a dud, the one of questionable appearance was a gem. You pays your money and you takes your chances as they say.

Always be sure you can return any expensive hone if it is not adequate...BUT, be sure you have the experience to know if you got a good one or bad one before that time period runs out.

Tony

Originally Posted by randydance062449

It can be done but it is slow. Ask Hoekmanx(Theo)!

The thumnail test would tell you if all the nicks are gone, and if the bevel is formed uniformily along the entire length of the edge.
Once the razor passes the thumbnail test I would stay on it for a while longer, say 25-50 laps before I went on to the yellow stone. Be sure to use a slurry with each side. If you expect to have a shaving edge after 25-50 laps on the yellow then your dreaming. It is not a fast cutting hone for either side. But the resulting edge is very nice. The edge can be further refined by using a paddle strop pasted with 0.5 micron paste. I prefer chrome oxide over diamond.

How come you like the chrome oxide over the diamond? I am curious bout this

Originally Posted by 72miura

How come you like the chrome oxide over the diamond? I am curious bout this

diamonds are overrated:
http://www.eyeonbooks.com/ibp.php?ISBN=0312339690

press play. 10 min of interesting listening