Coticule love... show off your rock

[Empire straights]

I've just got myself a no8 bout and I don't have a slurry stone with it. Could I ask if a Belgian chunk is the same as a slurry stone?
Sorry for asking on this thread but thought as you guys all got coticule you would be the best to answer for me.

There is a company called Belgian chunk, but the name is in german i believe. They sell on ebay and describe their product as "Belgian chunk". The first full sized coticule i bought i got from them and i was pleasantly surprised with it. It's mid range speed but it will put a great edge on a razor. It actually goes pretty quickly during everything but finishing, especially with a bbw slurry start> lpb slurry middle>running water>dry coticule. If these are the people you afte looking at getting a stone from i wouldn't hesitate.

 

[cotedupy]

Here's an interesting stone I got today, most interesting for the BBW side perhaps...

This isn't I don't think naturally bonded, and the BBW looks like this:

Is this thin greenish layer a bit of hybrid then do we think?

I also wouldn't rule out this being three stones glued together. They're all in completely straight lines, and there does appear to be a very thin black line between the green bit and the BBW.

Anyone seen others similar to my Tricolore Coti before...?

 

[Empire straights]

Here's an interesting stone I got today, most interesting for the BBW side perhaps...

This isn't I don't think naturally bonded, and the BBW looks like this:

View attachment 1309590

Is this thin greenish layer a bit of hybrid then do we think?

View attachment 1309588

View attachment 1309589

I also wouldn't rule out this being three stones glued together. They're all in completely straight lines, and there does appear to be a very thin black line between the green bit and the BBW.

Anyone seen others similar to my Tricolore Coti before...?

It looks like a natural combo someone backed with a piece of slate, in turn covering the bbw. Man i know some folks dont use them but dang, no way i would have covered that beautiful blue stone. I wonder if you can remove the slate somehow? I know they're is a seasoned rock hound around here that can probably give you a more definitive answer. Beautiful coticule nonetheless. Im ready to try my antique stome coming in just to see the differences. I know with arks vintage makes an insane difference so I'm guessing it's possible coticules are the same.i need to try a new la lune too.

 

[cotedupy]

It looks like a natural combo someone backed with a piece of slate, in turn covering the bbw. Man i know some folks dont use them but dang, no way i would have covered that beautiful blue stone. I wonder if you can remove the slate somehow? I know they're is a seasoned rock hound around here that can probably give you a more definitive answer. Beautiful coticule nonetheless. Im ready to try my antique stome coming in just to see the differences. I know with arks vintage makes an insane difference so I'm guessing it's possible coticules are the same.i need to try a new la lune too.

Possibly, though looking at it with a loupe and microscope I'm pretty certain it's a hybrid layer, and the surface has some bits going toward yellow and cream coloured. It's fairly thin though, if I wanted to get rid of it I could lap away, or put on a belt sander for about 3 secs.

I don't have much experience with coticules at all, and have never tried a new one, so don't know how they'd compare at all, but interested to hear yours and others' thoughts.

How do you find Arks differ? Again - I've never used a new one, but do have two old (40s and 50s) Norton Translucents, which are great .

 

[Empire straights]

Possibly, though looking at it with a loupe and microscope I'm pretty certain it's a hybrid layer, and the surface has some bits going toward yellow and cream coloured. It's fairly thin though, if I wanted to get rid of it I could lap away, or put on a belt sander for about 3 secs.

I don't have much experience with coticules at all, and have never tried a new one, so don't know how they'd compare at all, but interested to hear yours and others' thoughts.

How do you find Arks differ? Again - I've never used a new one, but do have two old (40s and 50s) Norton Translucents, which are great .

It seems like arks from old quarries were much finer but have teeth it seems like too me. People complain about them being slow but the stones i use aren't slow at all they eat steel. I can bevel set to finish on arks as fast as i can a coticule if i try, i like slow precise strokes though because it takes longer and i like honing. Plus better edges, less facial hair.

 

[cotedupy]

It seems like arks from old quarries were much finer but have teeth it seems like too me. People complain about them being slow but the stones i use aren't slow at all they eat steel. I can bevel set to finish on arks as fast as i can a coticule if i try, i like slow precise strokes though because it takes longer and i like honing. Plus better edges, less facial hair.

Ah yeah, that certainly chimes with my experience of my two old ones. But nothing like as slow/difficult to use for freehand sharpening as some people say. And still with a bit of bite to them if you refresh the surface slightly.

 

[ErieSurfer]

Here's an interesting stone I got today, most interesting for the BBW side perhaps...

This isn't I don't think naturally bonded, and the BBW looks like this:

View attachment 1309590

Is this thin greenish layer a bit of hybrid then do we think?

View attachment 1309588

View attachment 1309589

I also wouldn't rule out this being three stones glued together. They're all in completely straight lines, and there does appear to be a very thin black line between the green bit and the BBW.

Anyone seen others similar to my Tricolore Coti before...?

Have you examined the green layer to determine its abrasive qualities? I suspect that someone glued the green layer to the combo stone so that they would always have a faster/coarser cutting material readily available with their coticule.

 

[cotedupy]

Have you examined the green layer to determine its abrasive qualities? I suspect that someone glued the green layer to the combo stone so that they would always have a faster/coarser cutting material readily available with their coticule.

Yeah I'm starting to suspect the same, it is very straight. I gave it a quick go yesterday and it seemed; quicker than BBW but not as quick as coticule. Coarser than coticule; similar-ish grit to BBW. Might give it a proper try in a bit though.

(Bear in mind - I don't have a huge frame for comparison / reference, so my impressions may be nonsense!)

 

[ErieSurfer]

No worries. I'm about to see what happens when I do this:

 

[cotedupy]

No worries. I'm about to see what happens when I do this:

View attachment 1310086

Top stone an ark, is it...?

 

[ErieSurfer]

Yes, and it is not uniformly translucent. The whiter portions are the color of the stone, and they are less translucent than the darker portions. Fingers crossed that the variable translucence isn't a problem...

The hone between the NoxAll and the coticule is labeled 'Its A Peech'. The name cracks me up and I've only recently lapped flat.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Coted,

Maybe hybrid, but really doesn't look like it to me. Rather looks like the BBW ran into something else entirely different and fused with it and when they cut that chunk of bbw off for backing purposes, they got a little bit of this unique rock (and didn't care because it was just backing). Curious how it'll work. Give it a try. I'd guess it's gonna be a bit gritty (kinda looks it).

 

[cotedupy]

Coted,

Maybe hybrid, but really doesn't look like it to me. Rather looks like the BBW ran into something else entirely different and fused with it and when they cut that chunk of bbw off for backing purposes, they got a little bit of this unique rock (and didn't care because it was just backing). Curious how it'll work. Give it a try. I'd guess it's gonna be a bit gritty (kinda looks it).

Just gave it a proper try compared to the coti side and another BBW, and unfortunately it's nothing to write home about. Works ok, but not great.

I then looked at it again with a USB scope in comparison, alongside a few slates. And apologies @Empire straights - I actually think you hit the nail on the head before - I suspect it's a weird-looking slate type thing that's probably been glued onto the BBW. (It might be naturally occurring, but there seems to be a very thin and straight black line between the two.)

There are some visual aspects of it that make me think it's probably from the same quarry/area. But alas it's just not all that swish as a whetstone.

 

[Empire straights]

Just gave it a proper try compared to the coti side and another BBW, and unfortunately it's nothing to write home about. Works ok, but not great.

I then looked at it again with a USB scope in comparison, alongside a few slates. And apologies @Empire straights - I actually think you hit the nail on the head before - I suspect it's a weird-looking slate type thing that's probably been glued onto the BBW. (It might be naturally occurring, but there seems to be a very thin and straight black line between the two.)

There are some visual aspects of it that make me think it's probably from the same quarry/area. But alas it's just not all that swish as a whetstone.

There is probably an inclusion or vein of some other mineral in the bbw and they probably suck that on the bbw so they didn't break the whole thing. That stone is a plank!

Edit* i have several bouts and a couple 150mm coticules backed with that Portuguese slate.

 

[life2short1971]

Here’s a beautiful vintage 7” natural combo thats just about as nice a stone as one could ask for.
Its not mine I was just lucky enough to spend some time with it.

 

[Empire straights]

Here’s a beautiful vintage 7” natural combo thats just about as nice a stone as one could ask for.
Its not mine I was just lucky enough to spend some time with it.
View attachment 1310367

Wow that stone's beautiful. I got these 4 in the mail, I'm sure they came from someone here.

 

[life2short1971]

Here's an interesting stone I got today, most interesting for the BBW side perhaps...

This isn't I don't think naturally bonded, and the BBW looks like this:

View attachment 1309590

Is this thin greenish layer a bit of hybrid then do we think?

View attachment 1309588

View attachment 1309589

I also wouldn't rule out this being three stones glued together. They're all in completely straight lines, and there does appear to be a very thin black line between the green bit and the BBW.

Anyone seen others similar to my Tricolore Coti before...?

Its possible its a very thin layer of coticule like maybe la verte? Its green.
It doesn’t look like the green layer is glued. Try it and see how it is. There are lots of veins too thin to capitalize on and that may be one though the bbw is useful as backing for a glued stone. Definitely an oddity for sure and I would definitely run some razors on it. Nice find Congrats!

 

[life2short1971]

Wow that stone's beautiful. I got these 4 in the mail, I'm sure they came from someone here.

View attachment 1310387View attachment 1310388View attachment 1310389View attachment 1310390

Nice! I would definitely start with the top stone in the last pic. My money is on it.

 

[Empire straights]

One is an SR Droescher and the other an Old Rock coticule.

Edit* forgot to say what they are in first set of pictures.

 

[Wid]

Picked this up for a good price. I have to research what vein, not real sure at this point.