Thread: Emmanuel a coticule master shows his method.

Emmanuel has been honing razors and wood working tools on coticules for decades. This is the method his father taught him and he still uses it today. Emmanuel lives in Greece and makes musical instrumenta out of wood for a living, a true artist.

YouTube

Nice vid Nick. Had a problem accessing it on my linux box but went to youtube and found it by the title. This might be easier for some of us to access if anyone else is having a problem. Obviously the guy has a very light touch .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vviJAkmlpCk

Thanks, Jimmy!

I am on a cell phone so the link was not cooperating.

He finishes on light slurry, not water, which I found strange, but it works on my stones so far.


Shaves were good.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Nice vid Nick. Had a problem accessing it on my linux box but went to youtube and found it by the title. This might be easier for some of us to access if anyone else is having a problem. Obviously the guy has a very light touch .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vviJAkmlpCk

DisB, Thank You!
Also about Emmanuel - he's just a wonderful guy. Every time I hear of internal issues in Greece, I get concerned, hoping Emmanuel & other members are alright.
.
Emmanuel originated a technique of finishing that I tried w/ limited success (my issue - I'm sure) of coating the coti surface w/ a mixture of wood-based turpentine, mixed with beeswax - 50-50 by volume (not weight). I think its the same mixture used for the wood finish of his - and early stringed instruments, including Stradivarius. I'm always amazed by the coti masters. I've had some luck w/ them, but so far, i always do better w/ other stones. My hat's off to the guys that really make these rocks sing.

The Method in the video is simple and effective. It is nice to see someone has been diluting with coticules for years before our forums were even fahomable!

You start by making a slurry
Work circles with the razor, leading with the toe. Usually you see heel leading circles, these are the opposide.
Dilute to stop slurry from getting thicker than previous stages.
After several dilutions but when slurry is not yet water dip the razor for dilution.
Emmanuel isolates sections of the razor at a time, heel, middle, toe..tip, etc.
Finish on a light/"misty" slurry, not water.

I've also seen rubbing a dry shaving soap or stick on the coticule, rubbing it in with your palm, and honing on the film of dry soap on the coticule for a finish.

Originally Posted by pinklather

DisB, Thank You!
Also about Emmanuel - he's just a wonderful guy. Every time I hear of internal issues in Greece, I get concerned, hoping Emmanuel & other members are alright.
.
Emmanuel originated a technique of finishing that I tried w/ limited success (my issue - I'm sure) of coating the coti surface w/ a mixture of wood-based turpentine, mixed with beeswax - 50-50 by volume (not weight). I think its the same mixture used for the wood finish of his - and early stringed instruments, including Stradivarius. I'm always amazed by the coti masters. I've had some luck w/ them, but so far, i always do better w/ other stones. My hat's off to the guys that really make these rocks sing.

Thanks for posting this, Nick. I have been performing Emmanuel's method almost exclusively lately, and have been getting fantastic results! I studied his YouTube video & was able to get great results the first time I tried it.

One little thing I have added to his method is the fact that I turn my bout as I am honing (holding it in my hand). I will be doing the "reverse-circles", but I slowly rotate my coticule bout almost 180 degrees as I'm doing the circles. It could be superstition, but I feel like I get a better edge if I do this...Maybe I'll post a video of myself doing this so you all can critique it!

Originally Posted by jpcwon

Thanks for posting this, Nick. I have been performing Emmanuel's method almost exclusively lately, and have been getting fantastic results! I studied his YouTube video & was able to get great results the first time I tried it.

One little thing I have added to his method is the fact that I turn my bout as I am honing (holding it in my hand). I will be doing the "reverse-circles", but I slowly rotate my coticule bout almost 180 degrees as I'm doing the circles. It could be superstition, but I feel like I get a better edge if I do this...Maybe I'll post a video of myself doing this so you all can critique it!

The more videos the better!

Trying to watch this video but nothing is showing even when using you tube