Thread: Coticle - when to use one?

Sorry if this is a very basic question for some, but when would you use a Belgian yellow coticle stone, I mean at what part of the honing process?

I have 400/800/1200 grit natural Japanese waterstones, a Norton 4K/8K, and a paddle strop with 1.0 and 0.5 micron pastes. Where in this lineup would a yellow coticle go?

Any advice appreciated. I'm wondering if I should pick up a stone while good quality ones are still available.

Iwan,

I only have a Norton. I really don't think that you "need" a coticle. The pasted paddle should work excellently as the finisher.

I would put the coticle in between the 8000 and the 1 micron on the paddle.

Ray

I'll second Ray on this one... Coticules are seen as about 9-12,000 grit and 1.0 micron is about 16,000.

Hmmm I'll stick with the pasted paddle for now then, and maybe look to getting a coticle after Christmas if I'm not too horribly in debt!

Thanks guys.

The coticule is probably at about 10K but I think those who have one (I do) will tell you it puts an edge on the razor you can't seem to get with a synthetic type stone.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

The coticule is probably at about 10K but I think those who have one (I do) will tell you it puts an edge on the razor you can't seem to get with a synthetic type stone.

Where is a coticle stone available. Who sells them?

http://www.theperfectedge.com/belgian.shtml in the US but if your in Europe you may have a dealer in your country e.g. Belgium, Holland or Germany.

But not the UK.

They also sometimes come up on ebay, which might be worth a look.

I know that natural stones generally work 'finer' than their published grit when compared to Nortons; and the link murph gave quotes the blue stones at 4k and the yellow stones, the ones that we are talking about in this thread, at 8k.

Go to theperfectedge.com and contact howard. You can be sure that you get quality stones, if there is a problem he will fix it, and he also flattens the stones he sells.

I live in Belgium, home of the coticule, but it is actually cheaper to buy one from howard and have it shipped to europe than it is to drive to antwerp and buy one in the razor shop.
On top of that, the razor shop in antwerp sometimes sells stones of questionable quality.

Howard is one of us, and he can be trusted.

Yes Ardennes isn't the cheapest for most stones but if your in the UK their postage isn't too bad, you get a free box with a number of sizes and you don't have to pay duty, 17.5% tax and a $17 to $27 handling fee which all add up and can make buying from the states cost.
Unless your buying a smaller stone then you don't get hit with these charges.

Luckily I got mine from a dealer for a slightly reduced price.