That's what I was wondering...
The La Dressante I got from Gary had the same insert.
The La Dressante I got from Gary had the same insert.
Coticule love... show off your rock
- Thread starter Drybonz
- Start date
Oh ok. I did not know it came from Gary originally.
I received my bout from Paul (AKA BakerAndBadger). I can't wait to start learning this stone... so I won't wait! He even left me a nice message on the stone. Thanks, Paul!
Nice Bout, Jon! Looks like a La Grise? I too just got a new Grise that I've been playing with...they're fun stones, because each one is different! 
Nice Bout, Jon! Looks like a La Grise? I too just got a new Grise that I've been playing with...they're fun stones, because each one is different!
Thanks! I've been playing around with it as a finisher after my Norton 8k. I haven't test shaved anything off of it yet but I hope to tomorrow.
*Edit*
And no... I didn't forget the oil.
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Hi john
verry nice colored stone! like honey
how hard is it?
verry nice colored stone! like honey
how hard is it?
I can't judge how "hard" it is as I don't have much else as a point of reference. However, I am a complete novice at honing and I have just completed my first test shave off this stone (off any stone, for that matter). As a test, I decided to take a brand new Gold Dollar #100 from blunt stock to shave ready. I took out the shoulder with my Dremel, being careful to not kill the temper of the steel. I then taped the spine and started out on my Norton 1k before progressing to my 4k, 8k, and lastly my coti. I also gave it a few light laps on the coticule with a few drops of mineral oil. After stropping it on felt and then black latigo, I gave it its maiden voyage. The result? ... not bad for my first attempt! I got a DFS out of it with no nicks or cuts. I may want to give it a light touch-up in a spot or two. But all in all, I'm happy with my very first hone. I think I may be getting the hang of this. 
*Edit*
In case you're wondering which method I used, I seem to get the best results off of this stone so far using the ellipticot method.
*Edit*
In case you're wondering which method I used, I seem to get the best results off of this stone so far using the ellipticot method.
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Jon, the GD that I included was honed on your stone from start to finish. Can't remember if I used your slurry stone as well but you should get an idea of what it's capable of. I finished it on oil and it took a nice edge. I would say its a medium to hard stone, didnt seem to self slurry much if I remember well. In any case you'll have fun learning it but don't try with the Brian Brown yet!
Thanks, Paul. I've spent all morning practicing on various straights. Your memory is correct in that it took a slurry slowly (which works fine for me as I'm using this primarily as a finisher). So far, I've used it on the GD #100 I had mentioned earlier, another GD #66 that I had previously rescaled, a 5/8 G. Wostenholm & Son square tip, a 6/8 Volunteer Cutlery Spanish point, and a 9/8 E.L. & Co. near wedge. I've still got a few more straights to go through but I'm still learning the nuances of this particular stone. Then again, practice makes perfect!
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Here are a couple new Cotis that arrived from Jarrod at TSS today. A 60x200 and a bout. I lapped them both all the way to 2000 grit wet dry followed by a good slurrying. Can't wait to try them.
@Brianskeet
.....I like to rub my cotis together (wet of course) to lap one another. If they're both the same width, you'll get the same coverage on both but even if they aren't, this is still a good way to lap two at a time
-also works to raise a slurry=
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
.....I like to rub my cotis together (wet of course) to lap one another. If they're both the same width, you'll get the same coverage on both but even if they aren't, this is still a good way to lap two at a time
-also works to raise a slurry=
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
I saw a similar technique with jnats but you are supposed to use three - I think if you only use two you may end up dishing them both if one is dished. Can't remember the exact explanation but it seemed to make sense when I read it.@Brianskeet
.....I like to rub my cotis together (wet of course) to lap one another. If they're both the same width, you'll get the same coverage on both but even if they aren't, this is still a good way to lap two at a time
-also works to raise a slurry=
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
personally I lap to about 400 grit then rub two cotis together to smooth them a little. Can't understand lapping a coti up to 2000 - they'll never take a mirror finish.
~~~~well, I guess I should have put in the disclaimor that to lap two cotis together (one against another), start out with two *relatively* flat coticules...I would never try to lap one against another if one of them was severely dished (thought this would go w/o saying), but for those program coticulers
...for sure, if you have one dished coticule, straighten it out using the appropriate hone or sandpaper on a flat surface...save the coti on coti for the end of the progressionFWIW, I lap my coticules constantly (lightly as well) using this technique, mainly because I'm using the other coticule as a slurry stone to raise slurry, but even if I am going to do some strokes with a razor on a coticule w/o slurry, I'll lap two together just to 'wake up' the garnets, make em' more exposed on the surface, then thoroughly rinse the slurry off and begin stroking, on straight water. others may have better and different ideas
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
Thanks for the disclaimer Jake. I can understand you using the other coti to get a slurry but I reckon you are using up valuable stone by lapping so often.
I think lapping is often overrated - I have a vintage coti that has about 3/8 of a dish for a 6 inch length and if I ever have trouble with a blade I take it to that one, its like honing with tape without the tape. I never lapped it since I got it as I don't want to lose the coti layer and the guy before me must have used it all his life!
I think lapping is often overrated - I have a vintage coti that has about 3/8 of a dish for a 6 inch length and if I ever have trouble with a blade I take it to that one, its like honing with tape without the tape. I never lapped it since I got it as I don't want to lose the coti layer and the guy before me must have used it all his life!
One thing I've been curious about regarding coticules is that everyone says that you need to learn each stone as though each has its own fingerprint. I get the unique aspect of each stone since they're made by nature and not Man. However, what exactly does it mean to "learn" a coticule? To a layman, we're rubbing steel on stone to make a sharp edge. But what does it really mean?
I lap one coticule with the other and they both stay pretty true. I can tell when I do use a DMT with them.
Well in reality that IS all you're doing; rubbing steel on stone. However the rate in which the steel is removed by the stone varies from coticule to coticule, so you have to figure out how many strokes it'll take to remove the desired amount of steel from the blade. The use of slurry will speed up the removal of steel and the absence of it (plain water) will polish the blade, so you'll want to figure out the correct way to transition from one to the other (slurry dilution)... Also each stone has a different "feel" to it; some coticules have a smooth, "lubricated" feel on slurry while others have an abrasive feel to them, so different types of strokes (circles, ellipses, x-strokes etc..) work better on some stones than others...So those are just a few things to consider when "learning" a new stone that'll help you to maximize your edge on a given stone...
Here is my latest coticule, a La Petite Blanche 175x40. Getting fantastic results so far.
Thanks for the detailed description. That really simplifies it for me. To hear some people tell it, coticules sounded like some sort of obscure Rubik's Cube that took years to unravel their secrets.
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