After a Coticule?

[jgkeegan]

The Razor Gary honed for me arrived late yesterday afternoon mere moments after I had shaved. I am really anxious to try it out but will have to wait until tomorrow. Details then.

As a result of my first Jnat hone and shave, I did another razor with the Jnat shown earlier and again got a great shave. I am amazed at how easy it was.

I wish I had waited a little but longer for yesterday's mail so I could have experienced Gary's hone.

 

[bluesman 7]

I once waited all day for a razor to be delivered. Finally at 4 PM I gave up and shaved. Postman came while I was shaving.

 

[jgkeegan]

I once waited all day for a razor to be delivered. Finally at 4 PM I gave up and shaved. Postman came while I was shaving.

That's almost exactly what happened to me yesterday. I waited and waited and waited and finally gave up and shaved. As I was walking out the door moments later, the mail carrier arrived with the package.

 

[jgkeegan]

Best Shave Ever!

Moments ago, I shaved with the razor Gary Haywood honed for me.

I think it was the best shave I ever had. Gary did an absolutely marvellous job. Simply super. In terms of keenness and comfort, the shave exceeded my Jnat, synthetic and film hones. Yes, I often feel my last shave was my best and that must be taken into account but I have no other way to express how great it was.

This gives me the benchmark I have been looking for. regardless of my honing medium, if I can equal Gary's edge I'll be delighted.

So, I am going to keep trying to do that: short term with a coticule and Jnat, longer term with everything I use.

Thanks Gary and all the others who gave me advice.

Gary's edge is my target. Stay tuned.

 

[gary haywood]

I remember when I received my first bench mark from Bart , I just plugged along until I got there Keep at it James it's well worth it.

gary

 

[jgkeegan]

I remember when I received my first bench mark from Bart , I just plugged along until I got there Keep at it James it's well worth it.

gary

I agree with that; I think it is well worth it. I admit that after my first two Jnat hones and shaves, both very good, I was beginning to think that Jnats were much easier to use and my results were significantly better, but now I see the potential for how much improvement is possible for me.

So, I'll keep banging away at the coticule and hoping to get continued improvement until my edge is as good as yours.

Thanks so much for helping me, and also thanks to the others who contributed to this thread

As I wrote before, I will keep going at this until my results are flat.

 

[Oscroft]

I'm glad you like Gary's coti edge - that and my Brooksie JNAT edge are my two benchmarks.

It definitely pays to keep plugging at it - I'm finding it's just small changes to my style of laps, changes in pressure, etc that make incremental differences. My best on a coti so far has been doing more half-laps to start and moving to x-strokes later in the progression, using more torque pressure in the slurry stages (steering clear of finger pressure) and reducing it to just blade weight with pure water, flooding with water every few laps in the water stage, and generally doing a lot more water laps overall - and I have a few more variations to try.

To emphasise how individual different stones are, I tried the same progression on my big (grise-looking) stone the other day, and the result was about as sharp as my wits on a Monday morning - and for those who don't know me, that's not sharp.

I'm also finding that post-honing stropping makes a much bigger difference with a coti edge than after Naniwa synthetics. Most recently I did 100 on cotton, 50 on heavy-draw latigo, and then 50 on fairly slick bridle leather - and it made a very big difference to the sharpness.

 

[jgkeegan]

I'm glad you like Gary's coti edge - that and my Brooksie JNAT edge are my two benchmarks.

It definitely pays to keep plugging at it - I'm finding it's just small changes to my style of laps, changes in pressure, etc that make incremental differences. My best on a coti so far has been doing more half-laps to start and moving to x-strokes later in the progression, using more torque pressure in the slurry stages (steering clear of finger pressure) and reducing it to just blade weight with pure water, flooding with water every few laps in the water stage, and generally doing a lot more water laps overall - and I have a few more variations to try.

This is exactly the stage I am at. My shaves were good, bit after shaving with the razor Gary honed, I intend to try a number of the variables you mentioned. My progression from half-strokes to x-strokes is the same as yours but I want to fool around with the pressure issue particularly in the earlier stages.

 

[global_dev]

I honestly think it may be the rock.

 

[Brooksie967]

I honestly think it may be the rock.

A LOT of it is the tool we use. Most of it is knowing how to use that tool and the rest of our arsenal to achieve the results we want.

Out of 5 coticules I kept one; it's the only one I really felt stacked up to a 10k+ synth edge or a jnat edge. The others were OK, good stones, smooth shaves, just not what I'm looking for.

I currently have 6 jnats that can put an edge that passes my shave test. To me the numbers don't lie.

 

[jgkeegan]

I honestly think it may be the rock.

That's possible, but I think it's the user.

 

[jgkeegan]

I honestly think it may be the rock.

I have the feeling that had Gary used my rock, the result would have been the same.

 

[jgkeegan]

A LOT of it is the tool we use. Most of it is knowing how to use that tool and the rest of our arsenal to achieve the results we want.

Out of 5 coticules I kept one; it's the only one I really felt stacked up to a 10k+ synth edge or a jnat edge. The others were OK, good stones, smooth shaves, just not what I'm looking for.

I currently have 6 jnats that can put an edge that passes my shave test. To me the numbers don't lie.

I've always been a numbers guy and believe that is a sound concept. I also believe that my coticule and Jnat results are the result of the user and not the tool. I have been living in the synthetic and film world for a long time. For me, the honing process has been significantly different with coticules and Jnats. I can say that for me at this stage, Jnats are much easier to use than coticules and have produced better results. But both are in the area of good to pretty good shaves except Gary's coticule hone which was exceptional. The methodology of Jnats seem the converse of coticules. With Jnats the slurry does the job without the need to carefully reduce it as in the coticule works.

I currently have 0 Jnats, as the one I used is on loan from Tom Blodgett.

I expect I will keep trying to get better with both the Jnat and coticule until I experience the best of what I can do with both.

It's good that I love to hone.

 

[jgkeegan]

Here is a belated post showing the coticule edge on the razor Gary Haywood honed for me.











There is one more file coming in the next post since I can upload only 5-files at a time.

These were taken by Tom Blodgett at 400x and they look absolutely great to me.

I'm curious how Gary got to this point; I mean where he began and would love to have a chance to see a progression.

The five photos above are:

1. Heel, no logo
2. Heel, logo
3. Middle, no logo
4. Middle logo
5. Tip, no logo
6. Tip logo (coming in next post)

 

[jgkeegan]

Here is the final photo of the Gary's coticule edge.

 

[gary haywood]

Thanxs for photo mate..

I always use circles , well I did on this razor and then I finish at the very end with a set of moderate pressured half strokes on water followed by light x strokes until I get a catch and pop with a thick to medium hair , then I strop linen with moderate pressure and leather..

GaryGary

 

[jgkeegan]

Thanxs for photo mate..

I always use circles , well I did on this razor and then I finish at the very end with a set of moderate pressured half strokes on water followed by light x strokes until I get a catch and pop with a thick to medium hair , then I strop linen with moderate pressure and leather..

GaryGary

Thanks for the note and I apologise that there were only six photos and I posted them so late. They have really helped me.

 

[Doc226]

i hope gary's edge is as impressive as everyone says...

They are, I was lucky enough to try one out recently

I am amazed at how easy it was.

I wish I had waited a little but longer for yesterday's mail so I could have experienced Gary's hone.

JNATs are not hard, forget the terminology- it is a rock, make the rock flat, rub steel on it-ahhh

Best Shave Ever!

Gary's edge is my target. Stay tuned.

I knew you would say that.

There are two components to Gary's edge, one is the stone, not all coticules are created equal, sure most can deliver a fine shave but not all will be equal to Gary's edge. Second component is the indian, Gary is very skilled and has been at it for some time.

I am confident even I had Gary's stone I would not be able to replicate Gary's edge.

I remember when I received my first bench mark from Bart , I just plugged along until I got there Keep at it James it's well worth it.

gary

From the man himself.

As far as a JNAT vs a coticule edge, I think both are great, the JNAT one is easier to obtain for most. I also think a great coticule edge falls short of a great JNAT edge in keenness yet it still has the same smoothness that is lacking in all the synthetics.

James great post, keep it up on whatever method you choose, but I must say you have already taken the red pill.

 

[Gamma]

Lovely images - truly.

You're saying this is your best ever edge and look at that bevel.

I'ts ugly as sin (in an aesthetic sense) - and yet it shaves like a dream.

And there you have it. We don't shave with pix - and there's proof.
Well done.

 

[DJKELLY]

I taught that Gaz guy all he knows. Well, maybe. I might have that backwards, but I still know it was one way or the other. Kinda like between me and Arnold Palmer, we have won the Masters four times. Later, Denny