Coticule love... show off your rock

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Gents,

The standard looking natural combo arrived, and it appears to be a neat stone. It is not overly hard, it does cut, and it has an iridescence to both sides that I find attractive.

I did a few slurries, then finished under water. One thing that surprised me is that the slurry was creamy, and I detected no graininess.

The resultant HHT was nice…at the very back of the heel the hair folded back on itself, but everywhere else it just fell off the edge onto the other side. So I am going to shave test it after the first wave of kids go to bed!

Does anyone know what the back layer is…or vein…or anything based off of the pictures? I don’t have a clue about these…first one…first attempt at honing on one…etc!

Thanks!

Vr

Matt

Tomo · Nov 1, 2021

Matt O said:
Gents,

The standard looking natural combo arrived, and it appears to be a neat stone. It is not overly hard, it does cut, and it has an iridescence to both sides that I find attractive.

I did a few slurries, then finished under water. The resultant HHT was nice…at the very back of the heel the hair folded back on itself, but everywhere else it just fell off the edge onto the other side. So I am going to shave test it after the first wave of kids go to bed!

Does anyone know what the back layer is…or vein…or anything based off of the pictures? I don’t have a clue about these…first one…first attempt at honing on one…etc!

Thanks!

Vr

Matt
View attachment 1356068 View attachment 1356069 View attachment 1356070 View attachment 1356071 View attachment 1356072 View attachment 1356073 View attachment 1356074

The back is Belgium Blue Whetstone (BBW). The Coticule occures in veins, usually vertical, with BBW on both sides. It can also be used for honing.

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Tomo said:
The back is Belgium Blue Whetstone (BBW). The Coticule occures in veins, usually vertical, with BBW on both sides. It can also be used for honing.

Thank Tom! I will have to give it a shot next try. The yellow side had no graininess, which I found surprising because most people mention that is part of the tactile feel with the blade on stone. Damned if I know.

Vr

Matt

Wid · Nov 1, 2021

@Matt O you have a natural combo La Grise there. Very nice stone.

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Wid said:
@Matt O you have a natural combo La Grise there. Very nice stone.

Thanks Rick! May I ask what that means/what the tells are?

I literally know nothing about these!

I did do the shave test, and I am intrigued! It was soft, smooth, mellow, sharp enough to have no tugging but not quite laser beam sharp. Beautiful shave…post shave feel great with no redness or irritation!

Vr

Matt

Empire straights · Nov 1, 2021

Matt O said:
Thank Tom! I will have to give it a shot next try. The yellow side had no graininess, which I found surprising because most people mention that is part of the tactile feel with the blade on stone. Damned if I know.

Vr

Matt

That looks like a great stone.

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Empire straights said:
That looks like a great stone.

Thanks! I tuned up this edge on a JNAT Kiita a few weeks ago, just to see if it could fix the edge…and to see what it would do to the bevel near the edge. Then I proceeded to relegate this razor to opening packages and letters, so the edge was nowhere near shave ready today…this coticule sure fixed that.

I am going to have fun using it for well tuned razor next!

Vr

Matt

Wid · Nov 1, 2021

La Grise
" Thicker layer that allows several slices of Coticule to be cut with consistent properties throughout the layer. Color mostly warm (yellowish) gray, but cool (bluish) gray occurs as well. Presence of a grainy-looking pattern (although completely smooth to the touch), that is reminiscing of wood grain. Natural combination stones mostly have a gradual transition to the BBW. Many La Grises are glued to slate. Speed on slurry centers around moderate, sometimes a bit faster, but usually slightly slower. Speed on water is (relative) slow, which means that the water will show signs of darkening after a set of halfstrokes, but not with regular (low pressure) X-strokes. La Grise Coticules have a glassy feel on water only, and mild slurry dulling. They are easy to yield good keenness."

From CoticuleBe

What you describe is a typical Coticule edge.

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Wid said:
La Grise
" Thicker layer that allows several slices of Coticule to be cut with consistent properties throughout the layer. Color mostly warm (yellowish) gray, but cool (bluish) gray occurs as well. Presence of a grainy-looking pattern (although completely smooth to the touch), that is reminiscing of wood grain. Natural combination stones mostly have a gradual transition to the BBW. Many La Grises are glued to slate. Speed on slurry centers around moderate, sometimes a bit faster, but usually slightly slower. Speed on water is (relative) slow, which means that the water will show signs of darkening after a set of halfstrokes, but not with regular (low pressure) X-strokes. La Grise Coticules have a glassy feel on water only, and mild slurry dulling. They are easy to yield good keenness."

From CoticuleBe

What you describe is a typical Coticule edge.

Thanks Rick…Yeahp…that description nails this stone, and it’s speed. I also like that this one is a natural combo, and not glued to a slate. It really would not make a difference, but I like pure nature’s work.

Vr

Matt

Wid · Nov 1, 2021

Matt O said:
Thanks Rick…Yeahp…that description nails this stone, and it’s speed. I also like that this one is a natural combo, and not glued to a slate. It really would not make a difference, but I like pure nature’s work.

Vr

Matt

I have a few of La Grise and they are joy to hone on. Be careful, they get addictive LOL

Matt O · Nov 1, 2021

Wid said:
I have a few of La Grise and they are joy to hone on. Be careful, they get addictive LOL

Yes…this is just what I need…more stones tucked away in random places throughout the house! Where is the hand hitting my forehead emoji!?

alex1921 · Nov 2, 2021

Matt, not sure if you this but just in case. Written by Henk Bos and his wife Janneke.

https://bosq.home.xs4all.nl/info%2020m/grinding_and_honing_part_4_belgian_whetstones.pdf

Matt O · Nov 2, 2021

alex1921 said:
Matt, not sure if you this but just in case. Written by Henk Bos and his wife Janneke.

https://bosq.home.xs4all.nl/info%2020m/grinding_and_honing_part_4_belgian_whetstones.pdf

Oh wow! Thanks Alex! What a resource!

Vr

Matt

Lord Fatboy · Nov 2, 2021

Matt O said:
Oh wow! Thanks Alex! What a resource!

Vr

Matt

This is part 4 ("Belgian whetstones") of the "grinding and honing" guide. If you type 'grinding and honing' + 1 then 2 then 3 etc then you'll get the other parts, with a wealth of info on many types of honing stone, all European stones if I remember.

alex1921 · Nov 2, 2021

That's correct. If you scroll down to the bottom on that pdf there is a link to their website, the technical site link. There you can download more stone books/booklets plus other stuff they have written.