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  1. #1
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    Default Stunning Vintage Coticule Natural Combo

    It's one of the greatest feelings: Finding a dirty grimy stone, recognizing right away that under all the years and layers of surface junk, there is a great stone underneath. I knew right away that while antiquing today I was holding a vintage natural combination coticule; I bought it and almost couldn't wait to get home to lap it and see what was really under there.......

    It's already taken place as being my favorite natural stone. I stopped lapping it because I see there is some sort of circular stamp on the surface of one of the yellow ends. I can't make out what it says because it's faint. If/when I completely lap the yellow side, the stamp will most likely disappear.

    Now the "blue" side............absolutely stunning. Guys, I can't get the photos to accurately reflect the jaw dropping figuring on that side. It's so pearlescent even when dry.

    1 1/4" x 6" (1/16 shy of 6).

    The cracks in no way affect the surface and can't be felt even by scratching with a fingernail.

    I couldn't see myself selling this stone ever. Hello the start of a permanent collection. I don't want to be a nit, but I'll be mum on what I paid for it just because it's between me and the stone.

    Enough already, here are the pics!!

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    Chris L
    "Blues fallin' down like hail." Robert Johnson
    "Aw, Pretty Boy, can't you show me nuthin but surrender?" Patti Smith

  2. #2
    Previously lost, now "Pasturized" kaptain_zero's Avatar
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    Oh for heavens sake, Chris. You already have the finest hones Japan can make, you should have no use whatsoever for that grungy old natural hone. I mean, what could mother nature possibly know about making razors hones after all! No, I think it would be best if you just place it in a well padded box and send it to me, your poor northern, lives in an igloo, cousin who probably doesn't know any better and will think it's a fine razor hone.

    Nice catch, though.


    Regards

    Kaptain "Sigh..." Zero
    "Aw nuts, now I can't remember what I forgot!" --- Kaptain "Champion of lost causes" Zero

  3. #3
    Senior Member drfred's Avatar
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    Amen! What on earth does a Shapton man possibly need with a mere coticule?? They are so inferior to the Shapton that I feel Chris should rid himself of it immediately

    Fred

  4. #4
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    Aww, guys, you know you'd have done the same. How could I help myself? And....HAD is HAD after all.

    Chris L
    "Blues fallin' down like hail." Robert Johnson
    "Aw, Pretty Boy, can't you show me nuthin but surrender?" Patti Smith

  5. #5
    Hones & Honing randydance062449's Avatar
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    Glad it turned out so well! I was hoping those black lines would be of no consequence.
    It was good meeting you. Hope to see you again soon.
    Randolph Tuttle, a SRP Mentor for residents of Minnesota & western Wisconsin

  6. #6
    Frameback Aficionado heavydutysg135's Avatar
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    That's a REALLY cool looking stone! The yellow side almost looks like a high quality Japanese natural. It looks like a great addition to the collection, even if you never use it for honing razors. Once a hone addict always a hone addict

    David

  7. #7
    illegitimum non carborundum Utopian's Avatar
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    I have six double coticules and all but one have a fairly distinct transition from the yellow to the blue. Yours has a really cool gradual transition from one side to the other. I like it!

  8. #8
    Managing the UnManageable TOB9595's Avatar
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    Chris, a great eye....
    It has lots of character and soul.
    I wouldn't have looked twice at it...
    Sigh....
    Well Done!

  9. #9
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    I thought it best to research this unique vintage coticule a bit more. I was excited to hear back from Rob Celis, operator of the Ardennes coticule mine he works with his father. I sent him pics and have talked to him in the past.

    Rob dates my coticule after consulting with others as 100+ years old. He said at that time and prior there were many many small family mines digging coticule veins some of which were only a handful a meters below ground. It was common back then for the bigger family businesses to stamp their stones.

    Those of us who have vintage coticules that exhibit what look like black cracks but can't be/aren't felt as cracks (sure any stone can have real cracks, but I'm talking about the fine dark lines that appear in the stone that have no affect on honing) may want to know according to Rob, the black lines are manganese oxide. Rob said the pearlescent nature of the blue side of my coticule is also composed in part of manganese oxide. The mine has a resident geologist on site.

    He was very impressed with this stone and congratulated me immensely on my find. Very cool indeed!

    Chris L
    "Blues fallin' down like hail." Robert Johnson
    "Aw, Pretty Boy, can't you show me nuthin but surrender?" Patti Smith

  10. #10
    Senior Member Howard's Avatar
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    Default Vintage Coticules

    You are enjoying a rare pleasure Chris and I am pleased for you. I have a collection of vintage coticules as well as other stones and it's amazing to reach back into the past through a well used hone. The magnesium oxide lines probably aren't cracks so much as veins - big difference! I love "figure" on my stones and I have customers who regularly buy well figured coticules for their collection. It's ironic that today people often expect coticules to be a pure cream yellow and will complain about figure or veins. There is no difference relative to the honing outcome if a stone is figured or has MgO in it. Figure makes a stone more interesting.

    I have seen the opalescent effect (pearlescent is a new word to me) and doubt it is MgO that is causing it. I would guess mica or some other similar sodium/potassium magnesium aluminosilicate which is what makes up many minerals including garnet and mica which are fairly common. MgO is just dead black with no refractive properties. I have a wonderful table made of red sandstone from Arizona with MgO dendrites on it. I bought it from the hotel at Pagosa Springs where they were using it as a stepping stone at the bottom of a set of stairs. Yikes!

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