Belgian yellow

I have just ordered one from the invisible edge as im finding my chinese 12k isn't enough, are the ardenne stones larger in size or is it just pot luck?

Also with regards to honing how do you know how much slurry to use, i assume you start off with it quite thick then add more water as you go along, also i noticed when using my 12k the razor towards the end wanted to cut into the stone rather than just glide on it, would this be a good sign at all?

I wanted a kind of all in one stone to go with my 12k so i hope it's a good choice, oh one more thing do they require much pre soaking?

This site should answer all your questions.

Your size question confuses me? Usually you buy stones in a specific size (6x2, 8x2, etc), unless you got yourself a bout then the size/shape will vary a bit.

The coticule is a stone that can set a bevel and polish/finish (assuming you are trying to do heavy restoration work). These stones don't require soaking.

Yes i've bought a bout, wasn't sure what that meant so i just hit the buy button, it's from the invisible edge, quite pricey compared to others so id imagine it'll be a fair size?

Well i wanted an all rounder, something i could set bevels on and some polishing work and it seemed to fit the bill, that and feedback is meant to be good, i only got feedback from the chinese stone when i felt the edge start to get really sharp.

I find my 12k works best without a slurry. The extra strokes are worth it, and don't listen to the haters, it puts an excellent finishing touch on an edge

Bout means it's not a rectangle stone. Usually they are squarish with one side slanted in (so wind up being like 4"x (4 to 2)" for an ~80cm square one) but it varies.

I personally don't like them, but some people must since they aren't really any cheaper than the rectangular stones are.

SliceOfLife said:

Bout means it's not a rectangle stone.
I personally don't like them, but some people must since they aren't really any cheaper than the rectangular stones are.

Click to expand...

I don't know the prices at ThePerfectEdge, but at the quarry, a bout of 75cm² costs 57EUR. A rectangular hone of 2"X6", which is also 75cm² costs 74EUR. That's a significant price advantage, but only if the bout has a favorable shape for razor honing (6"-8" long, 1.5"-2" wide). Bouts can work as well as rectangular hones, but I wouldn't buy one without knowing the exact shape and dimensions.

As to answer the slurry density question, don't use thick slurry. The consistency of milk is the thickest you must ever allow slurry to become. Everything denser is just going to further decrease the maximum sharpness the edge will take, without offering much (if any at all) extra speed.

Best regards,
Bart.

I'm mostly going by Ardenne's prices. They have an extremely large range on their bouts. So if you get the max for the pricepoint, you do well, but if you get the minimum, in some cases the bench stones are cheaper.

For instance.

40mmx150mm (60cm square) is 42 Euro (std)
a 58cm to 70cm bout is the same price.

If I bought the bout and got a 58mm piece (less surface area than a cut stone that cost the same), I would be very displeased. And even at 70mm, I suspect it'll be a darn rare stone that will be shaped well enough you'll have the kind of usable surface the bench stone offers.

Cheers for the info folks i've a lot of reading to do.

Huxley,
If you are located in the US and would like to have some 1 on 1 instructions for using that Coticule once your receive it, I would be glad to help you get started. Just send me a PM if you are interested.

Ray

Thanks for the offer alas im from over the water, thanks for suggesting it though i am really enjoying this stone and it has a bit of character, when i first used it i started with a good bit of slurry and i thought this stone is nothing special, oh how wrong i was.

Further into the hone i could really feel an edge being brought to life, i can't wait to shave with it again tomorrow, i've always felt that a blunt edge will cut you more than a sharp one would.

The bout is actually very tiny, perfectly fine to work with though.