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The coticule is the truth!

So, I ordered my very first straight razor honing stone from Ardennes. I got a select plus La Veinette after much research on this forum. My decision basis from what I gathered was that it could possibly be a 1 stone solution being able to go from bevel setting to finishing. That is what got my attention as I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, even though I heard coticules can be a little finicky? anyways, my one and only straight razor, a Ralf Aust that was honed by Maggards shaved decently well, but I wanted to see if I could improve upon the HHT lvl. Straight from maggards Id say it was HHT-3, where hairs would catch on the blade then pop off. So I proceed to gamble on the shave ready blade and start my 1st honing session.

1st edge maintenance honing session: So I got a small coticule, a 150mm by 40mm. in hindsight, I wish I would have gotten a 50mm or 60mm. The reason being, when trying to do X strokes on it, I had a real hard time keeping the blade level with the thin hone and often could feel uneven pressure along the edge. I went slow and deliberate, light pressure, with running water and about 50 laps. After a good stropping on the canvas and leather, I achieved...drum roll, HTT-3. Ok, well I guess the stone is able to keep my straight razor shave ready, but, I wanted to achieve something sharper because going against the grain was not that comfortable as I would like. Maybe it was of the uneven pressure or technique, I am not sure.

2nd edge maintenance honing session: This time, I decide to try oil, baby oil was the only thing available, so I drop a few drops onto the stone, and this time, I go even slower, and since the hone was just on my desk this time, I used 2 fingers and did x strokes in 1/3s, but not in one single motion, but I had to do 1/3 of the blade at a time, tip, then pick up blade, go back to the bottom, then push middle, then go back to the bottom of hone again and do the heel area, because I was using 2 fingers held near the cutting edge while slowly pushing towards the spine, the same direction as if stropping. I did this reaaaally slow and did about in my estimate 30-50 laps? after wiping the blade down and stropping on leather, skipped the linen this time because I forgot. I did maybe 30-50 laps on just leather, but this time again, really slowly. 1 lap being about 2 to 3 seconds. I think I may have gotten sloppy with the stropping the first time so I wanted to narrow down the variables.

Drumroll, I do the HHT and to my complete surprise, I would say I achieved HHT 4.5? with about 15-20mm of hair hanging from my finger I slowly lay the hair on the blade, and instead of that very noticeable catch and pop. there wasnt really a catch this time, but it kind of slightly pops/falls down on the other side of the blade, the shorter that length of hair got, it started to just cut the hair in half then it would just fall from the other side.

I raised my straight razor into the air and praised the honing gods. It was the echoes of coticule praise in these forums that made me bite on purchasing a coticule, and I am so glad I did. I know exactly what I did, and it may not be the most correct of efficient way to hone, but I know I am able to repeat it and be able to create and maintain myself a shave ready razor. I just wanted to share my 1st experience honing a straight razor with you all and anyone who might be considering a coticule, just adding another success story of the coticule from someone who has basically no experience or skills in honing other than what is researched from this forum!

side note: also got my first brush and shave soap. proraso brush and haslinger soap, the sheep milk and lanolin one. The haslinger smells soooo good, I am addicted, its so subtle, and best way I can describe it, is its smells fresh? like so clean clothes out of the dryer? I am bad a describing smells.
 
Yes, I can go from bevel set (using the burr method) to finish on my La Grise and don't feel the need to go further because the shaves are comfortable, efficient, and irritation free. This is what I'm sticking with for a while at least--just a coti, slurry stone and nothing else.

I also have a select plus La Veinette in transit from Ardennes, but its been stuck in transit since the 6th. How long did it take you to get yours?

By the way--to me, 150mm X 50mm is kind of a perfect size for razors. Make sure you hold the stone in your off hand unsupported so that it can float and react to the pressure from your working hand. You'll be able to adjust quicker and keep the blade flat on the stone easier, believe it or not. That seemed counter intuitive to me at first, but it works
 
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Yes, I can go from bevel set (using the burr method) to finish on my La Grise and don't feel the need to go further because the shaves are comfortable, efficient, and irritation free. This is what I'm sticking with for a while at least--just a coti, slurry stone and nothing else.

I also have a select plus La Veinette in transit from Ardennes, but its been stuck in transit since the 6th. How long did it take you to get yours?

By the way--to me, 150mm X 50mm is kind of a perfect size for razors. Make sure you hold the stone in your off hand unsupported so that it can float and react to the pressure from your working hand. You'll be able to adjust quicker and keep the blade flat on the stone easier, believe it or not. That seemed counter intuitive to me at first, but it works
The newer la veinette stones I've got from AC have been great.
 
Love my coti. Started off with one and over the years tried jnats arks and anything else I could get my hands on. I always came back to the coti.

As long as you can keep it flat you have a bevel to finish solution.
 
By the way—Coticule edges really need both clean linen and clean leather right after honing. At a minimum 60 laps on both, and even more on the leather, if you can. Maintenance laps can be like 20/40, but Coticule edges love a good stropping.
Thanks, that's good to know. Should I go back to the linen even though I already kinda stroped a lot om leather? And here is a pic for my new coti that I forgot I should have added to my post!
 

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Yes, I can go from bevel set (using the burr method) to finish on my La Grise and don't feel the need to go further because the shaves are comfortable, efficient, and irritation free. This is what I'm sticking with for a while at least--just a coti, slurry stone and nothing else.

I also have a select plus La Veinette in transit from Ardennes, but its been stuck in transit since the 6th. How long did it take you to get yours?

By the way--to me, 150mm X 50mm is kind of a perfect size for razors. Make sure you hold the stone in your off hand unsupported so that it can float and react to the pressure from your working hand. You'll be able to adjust quicker and keep the blade flat on the stone easier, believe it or not. That seemed counter intuitive to me at first,

Yes, I can go from bevel set (using the burr method) to finish on my La Grise and don't feel the need to go further because the shaves are comfortable, efficient, and irritation free. This is what I'm sticking with for a while at least--just a coti, slurry stone and nothing else.

I also have a select plus La Veinette in transit from Ardennes, but its been stuck in transit since the 6th. How long did it take you to get yours?

By the way--to me, 150mm X 50mm is kind of a perfect size for razors. Make sure you hold the stone in your off hand unsupported so that it can float and react to the pressure from your working hand. You'll be able to adjust quicker and keep the blade flat on the stone easier, believe it or not. That seemed counter intuitive to me at first, but it works
Mine took about 3 full weeks to get to me. Yeah sooner or later I am going to have to learn to do this the proper way and float hold the stone in one hand. Thanks for the tip!
 
Nice write up! It brings back a lot of memories.

Honing your own good edges is very satisfying and you get a high sense of achievement. Very few things can do this so I think it must be primal.

Enjoy your edges and never stop learning as in a year from now they will be even better.

Congratulations!
 
I like Coticules, but I have to use mine as an intermediate stone. No matter which method I have tried to use, the edges just are not sharp enough for my beard. I always have to use an even finer stone as a finisher. That is a shame as I love the smoothness of a Coticule edge. It is not just my Coticule. I have purchased razors finished by others using a Coticule. I have always had to rehone them before they could provide a comfortable shave. If your beard is such that you can use a Coticule edge, you are fortunate.
 
I like Coticules, but I have to use mine as an intermediate stone. No matter which method I have tried to use, the edges just are not sharp enough for my beard. I always have to use an even finer stone as a finisher. That is a shame as I love the smoothness of a Coticule edge. It is not just my Coticule. I have purchased razors finished by others using a Coticule. I have always had to rehone them before they could provide a comfortable shave. If your beard is such that you can use a Coticule edge, you are fortunate.

I have a theory about this, and it might not be true. But it well may be.

I've noticed a lot of people using coticules but raising a slurry with a diamond plate. Or using a diamond plate to lap a coticule. My understanding is that diamonds are much harder than garnets (which is what gives a coticule its unique abrasive characteristics), and a diamond plate will rip up the garnets imbedded in the surface of a coticule, and more than that, will actually cut the garnets up, so that the surface of the coticule has a very different abrasive characteristic than it would in its natural state.

I would suggest lapping with a diamond plate is fine, provided the surface is re-conditioned by using a dry slurry stone against the dry surface of the hone to remove the damage done by the lapping plate. Also, never use a diamond plate to raise a slurry--only a slurry stone.

I have observed these effects myself. I've gotten really subpar results raising a slurry with diamond, and after lapping with the same, only to have a stone magically start performing well again.

After only using slurry stones for slurry, and conditioning the surface after lapping, I get consistently good results, and sometimes edges much keener than I care to shave with..
 
I have a theory about this, and it might not be true. But it well may be.

I've noticed a lot of people using coticules but raising a slurry with a diamond plate. Or using a diamond plate to lap a coticule. My understanding is that diamonds are much harder than garnets (which is what gives a coticule its unique abrasive characteristics), and a diamond plate will rip up the garnets imbedded in the surface of a coticule, and more than that, will actually cut the garnets up, so that the surface of the coticule has a very different abrasive characteristic than it would in its natural state.

I would suggest lapping with a diamond plate is fine, provided the surface is re-conditioned by using a dry slurry stone against the dry surface of the hone to remove the damage done by the lapping plate. Also, never use a diamond plate to raise a slurry--only a slurry stone.

I have observed these effects myself. I've gotten really subpar results raising a slurry with diamond, and after lapping with the same, only to have a stone magically start performing well again.

After only using slurry stones for slurry, and conditioning the surface after lapping, I get consistently good results, and sometimes edges much keener than I care to shave with..
I have been reading up on that as well. From what I gather, is that some people believe that it(diamond lapping) hampered their stones honing capabilities, while others have said that all it did for them was change the way honing felt, but performance didn't change much. Some said that going up to 2k grit w/d will fix it mostly. Others mention using a slurry stone or just honing with and using it will mellow the surface out again eventually. I have a small 6x2 stone and I have been using mine with just water or oil so I am really gentle with it. I have not noticed any slurry forming at all. I think it(my coticule) may be really hard one. I hope I won't have to lap this for a while.
 
Using a slurry stone to smooth the surface after a fresh lapping has always been worth the effort for me. I used my 5x2 coticule for several years without lapping (used for touch ups with water, or water only laps). I probably should of lapped it more often, but the edges were still great for me. I lapped it recently and it took a good chunk of time getting it flat again - there was not any crazy dishing but the stone is crazy hard.
 
I have several coticules I can lap flat with a diamond plate and just use it with slurry. No issues.
I also have a hard and glass like La Grise. This will really chew up an edge if used the same way.
In my opinion, how/if you need to condition the surface depends on the stone, and what you are using it for.

The really good stones, like the La Veinnette don't seem to be affected much with different surface preps.
 
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