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Post-Coticule stone/treatment?

I love the edge I get on my coticule, nice an smooth. All my edges recently have been perfectly shave ready off the stone, however I'm finding that I may be a keen-freak. I want to push the edge just a little further than what I can currently pull-off. I've used chrome-ox but find that it seems to give my edge a toothy feel, taking away from the coticule edge "buttery smooth" feeling. I believe I've heard DrMatt mention in the past speak of following the coticule edge with a translucent ark to take it just a little further, while retaining the smoothness.

To my question, does anyone follow their coticule with another stone? If so what? Or dare I say it, should I trade my coticules in for a jnat to achieve the keenness I seek?
 
Why not try one of AJ's purple slates off a coti, just for kicks? The price is right and you may be pleased.
After flipping through the thread that was linked above, as well as looking back on advice that I've been given by seasoned, successful, coticule users - I think I should set some time aside to refine my technique, as I could likely (with practice) pull off more keenness by modifying my current technique. The whole reason I started honing with coticules is because of their smoothness, and the last thing I want to do is sacrifice comfort for keenness.
 
Try an AJ's purple. You may be surprised. I use the coticules mostly with water. Purple Welsh slate the same way. Tiny stones these days, in the 1-1/2" x 4" to 2" x 5" range max. The purple ups the ante just a little bit, if that is indeed what you are searching for, or as evinced from your original post. Coticule with lather at the end also does the trick for me, but otherwise, I need a little more...
 
Yes, maybe, as whatever works for you in the end is what works. Much also has to do with the gesture of the stroke, how one grips the shank, hand-held vs. bench stropping, etc. My experience has been that AJ's purple slate can put a nice cap on most coticules, rendering the search for rarefied or vintage coticule veins moot, as can the right pasted strop, which in my case would be a red-pasted (ferric oxide pigment) Solingen hanging linen strop pulled reasonably taut, whereas the subsequent shell leather is left a little slack. So off the coticule, to up the ante a little bit, it's one of three things, no slurry being used in this purview: (1) the coticule used with water followed by lather at the end, (2) the coticule used with water followed by AJ's Welsh purple used with water, or (3) the coticule used with water followed by the red-pasted linen strop (~8-12 laps).

As for the grip of the shank and the stroke, in using small, hand-held stones, this involves a separate description. Suffice it to say that a laterally-biassed, rolling X-stroke serves well as a default, with the shank being gripped more from side to side, rather than from top to bottom (or the pencil-roll flip), involving a slight diagonal bias with the thumb towards the edge rather than the spine and a slight turn of the wrist in making the flip. Basically, it is analogous to the method used in stopping, provided that one is gripping the shank from side to side, with a slight wrist turn in making the flip, except that here we are talking about an edge-leading pass on the stones rather than a spine-leading pass on the linen and leather. Longitudinally-biassed stroke on the linen/leather; more laterally-biassed stroke on the stones.
 
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kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock
I used a natural BBW/coticule for over 30 yrs. The keenness came from the BBW side and the smoothness came from the coticule. Fantastic shaves.

I purchased a CH12K just a few years ago to follow the coticule and it did ratchet up the keenness a little.
 
I hone with Norton's to 4k, then coticule with lather... diluting it down to pure water. In my mind, the lather holds the slurry in place longer than water. I then then wash the stone and hone and use pure water often refreshed and feather light passes. I think one of the beauties of coticule honing in the flexibility. I have a stone sold to me as an unverified Thuringen by a member. I haven't explored it enough to say it's the cat's meow but it certainly polishes the edge more. I'm currently trying to "master" my coti before moving on.
It might be fun if a member could "loan" an Ark just to see... Kinda like the blade pass around.

Happy honing.

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Once you get the hang of a ZG as a finisher after coticule w/water, you may never go back to another hone
 
Purple slate does work. I used coticules for years and I was surprised how well aj slate worked. Laser sharp that retains smoothness in a slightly different way, kind of between naniwas 12 k And j nat feel not quite as mellow as coticule. For the price you may as well try one.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
Purple slate does work. I used coticules for years and I was surprised how well aj slate worked. Laser sharp that retains smoothness in a slightly different way, kind of between naniwas 12 k And j nat feel not quite as mellow as coticule. For the price you may as well try one.
How many laps are you doing after the coti, Gary? Water or oil on the slate?
 
I really love my jnats. I love the keen finish that they give. I even love my gokumyo 20k and the smooth keen edge it produces. But trade in your coti's, I don't think so. Plus if you go to another finisher after the coti, then I think that it would no longer have a coti finish at all, but the finish of the other. If budget allows I would look into maybe just getting another finisher so when you feel keen you can have keen, but go back when you anytime you want. But again only if budget will allow.
 
Purple slate does work. I used coticules for years and I was surprised how well aj slate worked. Laser sharp that retains smoothness in a slightly different way, kind of between naniwas 12 k And j nat feel not quite as mellow as coticule. For the price you may as well try one.
For only $40 or so, and all the great feedback I am hearing, I may have to pick one up come payday.
 
I really love my jnats. I love the keen finish that they give. I even love my gokumyo 20k and the smooth keen edge it produces. But trade in your coti's, I don't think so. Plus if you go to another finisher after the coti, then I think that it would no longer have a coti finish at all, but the finish of the other. If budget allows I would look into maybe just getting another finisher so when you feel keen you can have keen, but go back when you anytime you want. But again only if budget will allow.

I tend to aggree to a certain point, I have taken a JNAT edge and after stropping the edge was not quite where I wanted it so I did 8-10 light laps on a piece of linen pasted with .5 CrOx and it drove the edge over the top for keeness but left the JNAT sandblased finish looking at it with a loupe, I have aslo taken a JNAT edge and followed with 50 or so water only laps on a LV coticule and it had the crazy coti scratch pattern but the keeness of a JNAT ?, I am sure there are those that will say using the CrOx after the JNAT erases the JNAT edge but I think if it's done with moderation it will give you a tad more of a better edge without changing the edge that much who knows and maybe the CrOx or diamond spray just smooths it out.
 
I tend to aggree to a certain point, I have taken a JNAT edge and after stropping the edge was not quite where I wanted it so I did 8-10 light laps on a piece of linen pasted with .5 CrOx and it drove the edge over the top for keeness but left the JNAT sandblased finish looking at it with a loupe, I have aslo taken a JNAT edge and followed with 50 or so water only laps on a LV coticule and it had the crazy coti scratch pattern but the keeness of a JNAT ?, I am sure there are those that will say using the CrOx after the JNAT erases the JNAT edge but I think if it's done with moderation it will give you a tad more of a better edge without changing the edge that much who knows and maybe the CrOx or diamond spray just smooths it out.

I love to be proven wrong. It gives me new things to try. Thanks for correcting me, because I was really basing it on my assumption rather than experience.
 
I love to be proven wrong. It gives me new things to try. Thanks for correcting me, because I was really basing it on my assumption rather than experience.

Oh no please don't take this as correcting, I just get bored sometimes and try different things like using a diamond plate to generate slurry and use that JNAT slurry on a coti or do a micro bevel as the last step, have also used several layers of tape to change the bevel angle to see how a particular razor shaves compared to no tape and also use .5 CrOx to chase that last bit of keeness with just a few laps and compare that edge to no CrOx
 
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