Actually I have one but use plate glassYou might not be done with stones just yet. You still need a granite surface plate for lapping your balsa on.
Actually I have one but use plate glassYou might not be done with stones just yet. You still need a granite surface plate for lapping your balsa on.
I have both. The plate glass is certainly a lot easier to store and does the job but you can’t beat the flatness and dimensional stability of a certified granite plate. It’s over the top but as they say only the best results are worth pursuing.Actually I have one but use plate glass
Oil is the magic ingredient with Coticules. It will really take the edge up a couple of notches.I shaved off the larger Welsh slate yesterday and it was ok but not great so I re honed the razor on it last night.
It has two sides lapped by the seller so I switched sides for last nights hone.
When I last honed on it from the 1u film it took about 30 laps to stick to the stone but last night it was a full 200 laps before it stuck and signalled me to stop. The shave from it was much better.
Now this morning my new (to me) coticule arrived.
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It’s only as long as my phone and about an inch wide but it’s perfect for me as a trial piece as I’ve never used one before and also it’s tiny so it can come along in my bag with me on my travels.
I looked at it in the sun under a loup. I could see the tiny garnets light up and sparkle as they caught the sunlight. (Is that possible?)
I decided to use it as I do my slates which is just under running water with no slurry.
I’m used to the small stones so it was really easy to hold and use and it gave a nice feedback as I ran the razor back and forth. Like a sssshhhh sound with each pass.
After just 15 laps on the little stone I noticed the edge suddenly brighten and begin to stick.
I lightened up as much as I could a couple more laps until the blade stuck fast.
Really looking forward to seeing how I did tomorrow.
So that completes my current outfit.
Four Method edged razors and three with natural stone edges.
That gives me a nice blend of crazy sharp, foolproof efficiency along with plenty to tinker with too.
Motor oil 5W-20 synthetic will work great. Various reel or gun oils will work but not "microsphere" type lubricants or graphite lubricants, of course. Any of the commercial honing oils such as Smith's will work fine. You can also use dishwashing soap instead of oil. Mix about 50/50 with water. Thinner gives you more robust contact and faster cutting. Thicker gives you more buffering, lighter contact, slower cutting and a keener edge. Soap based honing lubricants IMHO are better than oils because they rinse quickly from the stone and carry swarf and slurry away with them. For a fine finish you want all traces of slurry gone, and if the stone self slurries then you need to be vigilant about keeping it gone. THis is why many guys will recommend finishing under running water.Thanks for the advice and it’s needed as today’s coticule shave was pretty rubbish.
I had to work hard to get real close and my usually bbs face isn’t as smooth as normal.
I’d optimistically thought I’d get an instant fine shave from it but it looks like I’ll have to work at it. This is no bad thing as it’ll be fun trying to unlock it. My concern is that the stone may not be the best for razors and I’d have no way of knowing. More experiments are needed. Is any type of oil ok?
Thanks a lot for the advice Slash I’ve got some engine oil in the boot and the soap or lather sounds good.
I already had this razor finished on 1u lapping film so I thought I’d just be able to finish it on the coticule with running water as it was already at the finishing stage. But the shave was pretty poor.
Do you think Slash, that it’s necessary to use a slurry etc if the razor is already at the finishing stage?
Anyway I took it back to the coticule this morning after the shave for another try, again under running water to see if I could improve it.
I used less pressure, went slower and took more care to keep the toe flat on the small stone.
Yesterday the razor stuck to the stone after 15 laps but today it took about 60 I think it was maybe the lighter pressure.
I’d just stropped on leather yesterday but today gave it 40 on linen then about 60 on leather. I never have much joy with the HHT even on my method edges which nonetheless give dazzling shaves. Either my girls hair is fine or I’m going wrong somewhere.
The shaves are always my best indicator though so I have to wait for the shave test tomorrow.
I don’t know about what grits they are but I always felt I got better edges on my slates than my Naniwa 12, though it was super reliable and easy to use. I say ‘was’ because a week ago my 1 year old grabbed it from my dressing gown pocket and threw it on the rug flat where it snapped in two. As I set her down to inspect the damage she looked at the stone then looked at me. ‘Boke!’ She said.
Yes I’ve been using the the yellow side, it hadn’t even occurred to me to examine the opposite side. I don’t know where my coti is from@Slash McCoy and @Jakebullet:
When you guys are talking "coticule" I assume you mean the "standard" yellow coticule. Is that right?
I ask because the hybrid side of a Les Lateneuses tends to give me a much more refined and keen edge than the yellow side. Nothing like a method edge, but probably on par with a synthetic 12k.
Just checking since "coticule" is a relatively broad term...
I agree with doing more laps than specified it seems to help me too.Today I can’t wait to apply the 'Method' to two razors, 100 laps on 0.5u, 300 laps on 0.25u, 300 laps on 0.1u, and 100 laps on leather. A little tired, but this is definitely the best edge I have ever encountered, very sharp and forgiving, magical.