Antique store score! (Belgian stone)

So I went out antique store hunting today for the first time. Went to a pretty cool shop had hundreds of old cameras, asked the clerk if he had any razors and he pointed me out to a corner in his store. I tarted looking at a couple of them, he had a ton of made in Germany razors mostly names I've never heard of; some were in good condition most weren't ( spines were over-honed) there was this one thiers issard but it had two chips on the bevel, anyways, I was looking at the razors when the salesman told me he also has a sharpening stone, he took it out and I immediately recognized the yellow and purplesk color as a Belgian hone, asked him the price and he started telling me how these are great stones, amazign quality, you can hone almost anything on these, even jewelers use them for gold... (needless to say my heart was sinking with every word he said, had a feeling he was gunna throw a huge number at me)
So it's 20$ if you want it.
I jumped on it right away.

So can anyone tell me anything about this hone?

Very nice!!!

I've been on a hone quest myself lately, but haven't found anything even close to as nice as that.

Man you are killing me, what a perfect score!

Great score. Looks like you have yourself a coticule/BBW combo.

Coticule, Natural Combo, Kosher - Straight Razor Place Wiki

It would be great if you post more pics after you lap it up. Here's some info on lapping if you need it:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ing-101-a.html

Lovely find. Love that label too.

Nice find! +1, that looks like a coti/BBW combo to me.

Enjoy it, they're great stones...!

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Originally Posted by narrez

So can anyone tell me anything about this hone?

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Nice hone for sharpening and finishing a straight razor. IME they were the go to hone for pro barbers back in New Jersey/New York years ago when barbers routinely shaved customers with straights. Most of us that have those love 'em. Nice find.

I've been dying to know the value of my hone, but I know we can't give numbers in the forums... but to my luck, someone just posted the coarser version of my pike in the classifieds, (it's also broken in one corner) for 140$. Made me quite happy today!:)

On another note, I lapped it the other day on 320 sand paper, then on 1000 grit norton, it's leveled, and all smooth except for one corner; it feels like the stone is a lower grit in that corner. I know it's a natural stone, but it's composed of the same minerals, I figured it would be the same grit all throughout, has anyone else encountered this?

Because it is a natural stone, there is no reason to assume the particular chunk cut to form yours is homogenous throughout. The natural versions of two sided coticules have dramatically different grits less than an inch apart. Some variation along the horizontal plane should not be much of a surprise.

Have fun experimenting with it!

I wonder what other grades of coticule Pike put out... Please do let us know how this one cuts. I for one am curious.

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I wonder what other grades of coticule Pike put out... Please do let us know how this one cuts. I for one am curious.

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I found this site that might answer your question for other grades.
WorthPoint


To be honest I don't have any other hones to compare this to, I've been shaving with a shavette since I was 14, and only recently made the change to an actual straight a couple of months ago. (so I don't have any real experience honing) but I'll gladly tell you what I've done and the results I obtained.
The main razor I'm using is a J.A. Henckels 70 1/2 I got that from a close friend who gave it to me. I passed it on a norton india stone (1000 grit) to get rid of a micro chip on the bevel, then passed it on the BBW side wet (15-20 times) then dried the BBW and passed another 15 times dry. Then passed it on the coticule wet. when I first started passing it on the wet coticule it was giving a really mirror polished bevel when looking in the light. After a few passes though, it started producing slurry and I noticed a few more passes later that the stone was starting to take on a greyish color and was "pulling" more. I stopped cause from what I've read a coticule with slurry is the equiv. of a norton 1000. Then stropped it on linen and then on leather.
I did the HHT and had absolutely no problems popping the hair without any violining. When I used it to shave, it has a tiny bit of pull on specific points of my neck but nothing uncomfortable, and gives me a shave just as close if not closer than my shavette.

nice score! and an even better price!