Ok so ive had this "special " stone in my possession at least 35 yrs. ive really never used it. didnt have a need really. it was my grandfather's, and i had no idea what it was until i came here to B n B lol. now i need to hone my razors and low ans behold what do i see on my shelf? well i already own one of these fancy vintage coticule thingies!!! lol. i would love some advice on how to clean the old swarf off of it and what i should use to flatten it. any info you guys could give a green newbie would be really appreciated.
first coticule, need some advice please
- Thread starter Kooldecker
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Nice! What a cool find LOL.
No experience with cleaning Coticules, so take my advice with that in mind. I'm thinking that a soak in Simple Green might be a starting point. More knowledgeable people will be along shortly.
No experience with cleaning Coticules, so take my advice with that in mind. I'm thinking that a soak in Simple Green might be a starting point. More knowledgeable people will be along shortly.
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- #3
imagining myself as a child dangling my legs off the park bench waiting for the adults to arrive lol
timwcic
"Look what I found"
There is a nice rock under the crud. All you need to do is lap it. Wet/dry sand paper on a piece of tile or glass. You are going to be a happy boy
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Great looking stone. I will second the simple green, and also recommend you lap the top on some 600 grit W/D sandpaper on a flat surface. That should make an excellent razor hone
That’s very cool! Congratulations on the heirloom! It looks like one of those old deep rock hones!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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- #7
thanks for the intel boys ill be sure and post pictures post-clean! i cant wait actually lol
Wow that is going to be a nice one. Good size and great story! Lap it and simple green it, then try it out.
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- #9
so am i correct to assume this is a coticule layer, and its bonded to slate? ive read about them being like that. i always assumed the blue side was just a course hone lol
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- #10
and am i simply scrubbing with the simple green? or soak it. should i be mindful of it absorbing the simple green? gues that was the question.
Most people soak the stone in Simple Green used straight. I would recommend soaking to lift off swarf and crud before lapping. Stick it in the SG to cover and check it at 15-minute intervals, wearing nitrile or dish-washing gloves. It can work fast, depending on how much there is to lift off. Pull it out and rub the surfaces and sides with your forefinger. Brushing it with an old toothbrush also helps in cleaning. When it looks clean, it's time to pull it out. Could be 15 minutes, could be 2 hrs. Rinse the stone off thoroughly with water afterwards. (The SG can be reused. I just pour it back into the original bottle. Even if it's discolored, it's still effective.)
Beautiful stone, and it's nice that you can start out with a family heirloom. What are the dimensions?
Beautiful stone, and it's nice that you can start out with a family heirloom. What are the dimensions?
It looks like a natural combination stone, so it’s naturally bonded to BBW (Belgian Blue Whetstone). Some guys use the bbw side. YMMV
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- #13
belgien blue waterstone. im soooo glad sombody cleared that up for me so i can now in my head stop saying big beautiful woman every time i read it lol
its not huge by any means. about 2x4. ut im not sure whata "normal"sized one would be anyway. thanks again for all your responses this place really is a unique group of gentleman
its not huge by any means. about 2x4. ut im not sure whata "normal"sized one would be anyway. thanks again for all your responses this place really is a unique group of gentleman
What he said as far as cleaning with simple green. I can add that it is bonded to a more desirable lorraine/Rouge Du Salm stone and that is a plus in my book.
When I first read about the coticule layer naturally occurring next to and naturally bonded to the Belgium blue I thought "How cool is that"!
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- #16
im clueless about all of this stuff bluesman sonits ALL cool to me lol! i feel like i just hit the jackpot on antiques roadshow lol
It's funny to think of that stone sitting in your possession for 35 years just waiting for you to get into straights.
I am unsure about the Lorraine/RDS part. That’s a term that gets loosely thrown around a bit much these days IMO. I have two labeled Lorraine stones and they perform markedly different (better) than any BBW I’ve ever tried, glued or naturally occurring. I’m not dismissing BBW by any means, but just saying that I don’t believe every purple stone is a Lorraine or RDS.
Can you get Simple Green in Europe?
I've never found it, except very expensive. I use "Elbow Grease" which is a pound shop spray, and works very well.
I've never seen it in France, where I spend a lot of time. What I use there is a strong de-greasing solution, the type used for cleaning up stains on shop floors and garages. While it works to some extant, it doesn't work as well as Simple Green.
2" x 4" is a bit small for many, but I like stones on the small side. Assuming your grandfather used it with razors, it is a good example of how in old times, folks could seemingly get by with less. I would suggest using it in the hand.
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