Thread: Coticule

Here is what I think is a coticule I just bought from eBay. I don't know what else they would be calling a "Belgian Razor Hone". It does have a crack, but I am hoping it is still able to be used. It looks like it should be stable and lapping should be able to take care of any unevenness. I probably do have to handle it with a little extra care.

I think it should be fine.Hope it works for you.

Nice grab!

That most certainly does look like a coticule. I'm not good at judging by photos, but since it's obviously a vintage one the backing is most likely BBW. Definitely a keeper.

I was thinking it was a combo. The $50 I paid for it is a decent price then.

Originally Posted by Pyment

I was thinking it was a combo. The $50 I paid for it is a decent price then.

Yup, if I paid that I would certainly be happy.

It is for sure a coticule/BBW combination stone, and you got it for a good price. I think you are right that lapping will smooth out the crack. If not, the stone looks long enough to just not hone over the crack. How long is it, anyway? From the pic and if your hand is average size, it looks to be 7 inches long, which gives you a nice long honing stroke. If it is 2 and a half inches wide, all the better, but 2 inches is enough width to hone with an X pattern. Don't forget to miter the edges a little when you lap it, and it will perform well for your lifetime! Congratulations.

Originally Posted by Croaker

Don't forget to miter the edges a little when you lap it, and it will perform well for your lifetime!

When you round off the long edges, be sure to rub along the edge, not at right angles to it. Mine crumbled a bit on the back (BBW) side before I did it the right way.

I do recommend rounding the edge rather than making a simple flat bevel at 45 degrees or whatever. A flat bevel still leaves an edge that can easily damage the blade if you aren't careful. And I think a round edge makes a Coti look even better!

Somehow I have ended up with a dozen of these. IME the cracks aren't an issue if they are tight. On some of mine that have them they seem to have been within the stone when it was mined and as long as they don't catch the edge while you are honing you're golden. You will feel it if it catches. Nice looking natural BTW.

nice! what size is the hone?

Nice find!

Don't worry about what your are calling a 'crack'.
It's not a crack. These are just lines with minerals formed together with the Coticule.
Most of the times they are even softer than the Coticule so they don't influence honing at all!
They just disappear together with the slurry.

Stones with those optical faults are sold by us as 'Standard quality' Coticule stones.
The only difference between 'Selected' and 'Standard' quality Coticule stones are these optical faults.
There's no difference in honing quality between a Selected and a Standard Coticule stone!
People often ask why a Selected Coticule stone costs more then a Standard quality stone. It's only because they are hand picked out of the current stock as best good looking stones.

What really matters is the type of vein the Coticule comes from!

In the old days Coticule stones were grading by the vein they came from not by there 'look'.

We are going to re-introduce the grading by vein system in the future!

Rob