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The Coticule Edge

Noticed some comments about the value of examining an edge under a microscope. Because I’m in the phase of messing up the edge, :), as a test engineer I find the scope image very useful. Will it tell me house good the shave will be? Don’t know. Will it tell me how bad the shave will be. Definately!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Noticed some comments about the value of examining an edge under a microscope. Because I’m in the phase of messing up the edge, :), as a test engineer I find the scope image very useful. Will it tell me house good the shave will be? Don’t know. Will it tell me how bad the shave will be. Definately!
Personally I found examining an edge under a microscope scared me. It is better not to know. The shave test is the only one that matters. Some of my best shavers have atrocious looking edges under a microscope.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Today's (vintage) coticule edge on a Gold Dollar W59.

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Personally I found examining an edge under a microscope scared me. It is better not to know. The shave test is the only one that matters. Some of my best shavers have atrocious looking edges under a microscope.

I am sure that someday I will get a USB microscope but for now I am totally satisfied using my Belomo 10x Triplet loupe with an external light source.

If I use the loupe to monitor the shape of the bevel I am setting and then that each stone completely removes the scratches from the previous stone, I am able to get great edges. Simple, easy and works!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
A shave-off this morning between two identical carbon steel SRs. Orange tail (top) was honed on the vintage coticule and maintained on same after each shave. Pink tail (bottom) was honed on the same coticule but not maintained after each shave, as suggested by @Bevel. Both SRs were stropped about 50 to 60 laps on the same clean leather before each shave and about 6 to 10 laps on denim after each shave. Each SR has been used for 10 x 3-pass shaves.

For this shave-off, the pink-tail was used for the RHS and orange-tail LHS for the first WTG pass. Then swapped round for the second pass (XTG + CdM) and swapped again for the final XTG in the opposite direction.

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Results were:
  1. WTG - both had same keenness with the orange tail being noticeably more comfortable.​
  2. XTG+CdM - both the same in keenness and comfort except the orange trail was definitely better in both on the CdM.​
  3. XTG in opposite direction - both the same in comfort with the orange tail showing just a little more keenness.​
Overall I have found very little difference between the two edges, except in the CdM when the orange tail shone through for its keenness. As I enjoy honing with this coticule/BB whetstone, I will now maintain all my coticule edges on the coticule after each shave.

Thank you @Bevel for your suggestion. I tried it but found that it wasn't for me.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I feel like I am maxing out my coticule edges. They are my most comfortable to shave with and they are not getting any comfier.

For edge keenness, I cannot get a coticule edge to match the diamond pasted balsa edge. This is particularly noticeable in my CdM (which I perform every shave). The coticule CdM shaves are just as close as the pasted balsa but don't cut my whiskers as easily.

I have also found that the coticule works best with my carbon steel blades. For harder stainless steel blades, my Adaee #12000 Cnat works better for comfort.

I can see myself shaving with two identical SRs each shave. For carbon steel blades it would be a diamond pasted balsa edge for the CdM and coticule edge for all the other passes. There could be my reason for a few more SRs 😊.
 
I have a coticule edge on a wedge that probably does the smoothest fools pass of all my edges. Same on 2 other W&B wedges.
This fella here.
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All were honed properly once and haven't seen a stone since, just a heavy draw leather strop keeps them happy.
I think Wedge + Sheffield Steel (soft) + coticule is a combination that's very hard to beat. Even though I'm sort of contradicting myself here I also think a razor with a tiny bevel helps, which is rare but not impossible with a wedge, as it reduces the surface area where a wide bevel is more inclined to want to stick to your skin. The pressure and angle used also comes into play.

Well, if you ever manage it, you should first call the Guinness people, then try to turn water into wine.
I once turned water into wine but I first had to put it on the grapevine and wait a long time.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
It has been about 6 months since I last really played with my vintage coticule/BB whetstone. This morning I decided to give it another go, this time using soluble oil as the stone's lubricating fluid. By soluble oil, I mean 6% soluble oil mixed with 94% water.

For this play, I chose one of my most favoured SRs, a Gold Dollar W59 (with pointy sharp toe 😊). Before Stropping, I refreshed the edge on the coticule with soluble oil. Prior to this, all my coticule honing has been only with water and lather.

I think I have now struck coticule gold!

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The shave was the most comfortable shave I have had in memory. That edge just glided over my rhinoceros hide like skin and cut through my silken whisker like they were not there.

The only down side was the edge was not as keen in the CdM as my other W59 with a diamond pasted balsa edge. For me that is to be expected as other edges have never matched a pasted balsa edge in CdM keenness.

I will try this soluble oil coticule honing on some other carbon steel SR pairs and see if my golden coticule edges can also be found there. Might even try some hard black Arkansas edges with soluble oil.

BTW, I chose soluble oil over mineral oil as I didn't want the problem of cleaning mineral oil off a whetstone. Soluble oil just easily rinses off under running water.
 
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