Thread: Help with a coticule size please?

Originally Posted by Chefbaze

Aha! That makes sense..I was just thinking that it would wear the stone down unevenly, no? Again I'm a noob, so I don't know much about this stuff

Thanks for your help

Again, I would not worry about that. Coticules are pretty hard and wear very slowly compared to synthetic stones in my experience. The wear would be somewhat uneven regardless because you would presumably be doing an X pattern stroke and not honing on all parts of the stone for the same length of time anyway. A periodic lapping with a straight lapping plate larger than the coticule will even it right up if you hone enough razors to need it. If you already had the right tools and experience to cut you could certainly do so (at risk of damaging the stone), but if it was me I would just go the easy route and leave it as is and buy a slurry stone separately (which should be pretty inexpensive).

I don't think you can say coticules are harder than synthetics in any sense. Coticules are easy to use if you use them without slurry after say a 6 or 8K hone. As soon as you start messing with a slurry that changes, the thicker the slurry the faster it removers metal and the coarser it will become.

A coticule may be harder than a Norton but certainly softer than e.g. a Shapton.

If you are considering a coticule: get a vintage one or a new one from a reputable vendor and start using it without slurry. As soon as you have the feel for it try raising a slurry and experiment with a practice razor.

It's all here: Belgian Hones - Straight Razor Place Wiki