Thread: My First Coticule

Heeding Doctor Glen’s sage advice regarding hones and honing saved me from a serious bout of HAD. Thanks to him, I’ve stayed largely with synthetics (ok, and a Thuringian or 2).

I found that my Ardennes mined coti from TSS needed more pressure than my vintage coti. Or, not pressure, but torque lets say. That helped me get to the finish line with it. And the gritty sensation is normal, at least in my experience. Also, like others have said the edge scratches don't look too different from my bevels after the modern coti.

When I first started using my coti, I dulled a razor to butter knife status. I totally messed up the geometry. It takes a lot of time to learn them. I'm still learning myself. Keep at it. Focus on your honing stroke and the pressure. I learned the most about my coticule doing the dilucot method on it. It allowed me to feel the different feedback sensations the slurry provided, and the feedback of water only. I also only used one razor on it when I first got my stone. It helped limit the variables, as some have said. Keep at it. Its very rewarding when it clicks. Mastery will definitely take a long time. I've had mine about 6 months and I'm NO WHERE near mastering my coti, not even 5% of the way there, but the journey is fun!

Originally Posted by Gasman

....So I sent an email to Superiorshave.com and got a reply the next day.
....
This is 50mm X 175mm or about 2 X 7 inches. Came with a slurry stone but no box.
....

They look nice to me. I like the size too. Nice folk at superiorshave too.

I used a coti and strop for decades and nothing else.
With water four to five light as heck strokes once every two weeks or so.

When I got my coti and razor in the early '70s there was no clue about veins
or anything... I never lapped it flat my first couple razors and the coti
got to like each other. Even dry shaving was easy.

RE the box keep an open eye open for scrap wood... It is easy to make a box with
waterproof gorilla glue by hand. Nails are not needed just drill holes for bamboo skewers and reinforce the
box if needed. The urethane brown gorilla glue is stronger than wood it foams up to
fill voids so hand tools will do the trick. Just do not glue the stone into the box ;-)
Even a little cardboard box will keep the hone safe. I still have the original cardboard box
that my first coti came in ;-) I am tempted to shellac or varnish it so it will last even longer.

Have fun...

Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga

Oh...your post made me smile...
I have a hunch I know what is happening.

You have bothe the 12k stone and the coticule near...please check to see if your hones are flat.

Sometimes it happens that hones getting used by the same honer tend to get a distinct micro dishing pattern specific to the honer's technique....
......

Keep calm sir...you'll get there.

This happened to me...
One coti and about 30 years my coti and my razors got very fond of each other.

Then I lost a strop in a move and found all manner of new modern hones and read
that I was supposed to lap them flat... so I did and I upset the apple cart.

I would add that the magic marker test can tell a lot. <---- this is the reason I jumped into this thread.
The critical bit is how the razor and hone touch and you can see that
with the magic marker test.

The surfaces of the hone, the shape of the razor, the man doing the honing can
all interact. The marker test will let you see a lot... Use a marker that you can
see well and inspect in bright light perhaps with a 10x hand lens.

Once your coti and razor are working together it will not take too many iterations
to get it right. Honing -- Stropping - smooth light and exact.

Some will tell you 50 strokes on the hone and 100 on the strop..
I would go the other way myself 5 on the hone and ten on the strop.

Water or lather... no slurry or slurry stone other than once to calm the surface of the hone
after lapping flat.

Some say 50 some say 5 .... do what works for you ;-)

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

... Even dry shaving was easy...

You know, I actually test my razors coming off the hone this way, I shave a small piece on my face, dry, if it doesn't tug and pull and shaves cleanly and rather smoothly I'm done

Gasman, I’d keep trying the stone for another week or two. If you are not completely satisfied send it back for a swap. Problem is doubt has been created about integrity of the stone. So unless you are 100% satisfied, get another and start over. Let Jarrod test it for you, etc. Peace of mind, you know. Better that than getting stuck with a dud rock.

Oh a quick mention. My mate Daniel P and I and another fellow from Aus found that some of these new stones prefer oil, honing solution or dish soap. The edges from water alone vs these was noticeable. Worth a try.

The coarser coticules get a nice buffer from using a thicker solution. Can bump performance.

Sent from my LG-K210 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Oh a quick mention. My mate Daniel P and I and another fellow from Aus found that some of these new stones prefer oil, honing solution or dish soap. The edges from water alone vs these was noticeable. Worth a try.

The coarser coticules get a nice buffer from using a thicker solution. Can bump performance.

Sent from my LG-K210 using Tapatalk

This goes with a Washita as well.

Originally Posted by outback

Looks pretty typical, for me.

Page 3...pictire of the stone wet evidences a transverse line light redish-brown in colour.

That could be a line of iron that is/has been transforming solwly into red iron oxide-aka rust.

Rust takes up more volume then iron and exerts a pressure effect.
So a crack mai develop that leads more water in until the all the iron oxidizes.

Also next to the crack on the down right pic...I se a few patchi areas where the colour tends to be grayish-light green/blue...surface pattern seems to disapear over these spots witch makes me belive that thise spots are diffrent then the rest of the stone.

The only thi g that matches the description is coryde quartzite .... that did not have enough pressure or manganase to catalise...
How I see it...

Oil and finishing under water help indeed but not so if the stone is inconsistent.