Yet another coticules for idiots thread

[Stapelfeld]

This is the Monkeycot method.
This will give you a 1000000000000 banana grit edge.
1.
Start with a banana shaped stone with slurry. You can also call it a convex stone.
Just hone until you can shave arm hair. You can dilute but you don't need to. I did not do it in this case.
This gives a relativly coarse edge like this.
View attachment 1965095
Step 3.
Scratch your head and do the monkey dance.
Step 4.
Use a flat coticule with just some trace slurry. Wash the stone clean from slurry. Add lubrication. Continue with light strokes. Rinse and repeat.
Step 5.
Strop on linen and leather.
Now you should end up with an edge that can compare to a good jnat edge.

Most of the bevel will still be quite coarse. So, it will not impress most of the heard that likes shiny objects.
View attachment 1965096
The apex condition, which is the part that does the work is smooth and well defined.
There is still some remaining impact damage from the bevel setting part using slurry. However, that is what makes a coticule edge feel different from other types of edges.

View attachment 1965098View attachment 1965099

This line is everything "There is still some remaining impact damage from the bevel setting part using slurry. However, that is what makes a coticule edge feel different from other types of edges." It's funny you actually have a microscope that is worthy of using to look at the apex and scratch pattern yet you don't obsess over the scratches like other people do with a 16x must be that monkeycot

 

[JPO]

This line is everything "There is still some remaining impact damage from the bevel setting part using slurry. However, that is what makes a coticule edge feel different from other types of edges." It's funny you actually have a microscope that is worthy of using to look at the apex and scratch pattern yet you don't obsess over the scratches like other people do with a 16x must be that monkeycot

Step 3 is the most important part. You need to do the monkey dance under a full moon. Eating 5 bananas also helps.

 

[SliceOfLife]

For fun yesterday I started restoring some rusty chipped razors I've been accumulating the last couple years from stone lot purchases. First one was no big deal. Second one was heavily face rusted so I went at it with 60 grit (It was the first paper I found) pretty aggressively to clean that off. No clue about the state of the edge really... but there were some small visible chips to the naked eye at the start of things... and I spent about five minutes on my 1200 DMT and got about half of the blade where it needed to be (blade wasn't obviously warped or heel on stone or anything, so should be fairly straightforward to hone evenly)... took almost a half hour of additional back and forth on the 1.2 and 8k trying to eke up the heel to where it needed to be without dropping down to my 600, breaking out my scope to check the edge or removing more than I needed to. Surprised me how much work a razor that I wouldn't consider in especially bad shape (and hollow ground) really took to get a good bevel on the full length of the edge. Easy to forget how much effort some of these eBay specials can be when I've really not touched anything that hasn't been shave ready recently in half a decade.

Would NOT have wanted to be beveling that on a coticule.

 

[captaincaed]

Quick notes for future self.
Did a little side-by-side with day 2 and day 3, one on each cheek. Day 3 was a marginally closer and more comfortable shaver. Each stropped on cotton/suede/leather.

In the spirit of lighter pressure, I also shaved with lighter pressure than usual, trusting the razor to do the work, and it did. Pleasantly surprised, less irritation.

Will continue to use the same razors on a couple more Wid-style dilucots, then will give Monkeycot a run * dun dun duuuuuun *. After that, will revisit David’s method.

 

[captaincaed]

Surprised me how much work a razor that I wouldn't consider in especially bad shape (and hollow ground) really took to get a good bevel on the full length of the edge.

A year working with nothing but restorations taught me an awful lot. But it’s so nice to be working with a stable of well-trained ponies now; a luxury to grab a razor and just start at 5-8k.

Even using the 220 pink brick was a chore, cannot imagine that work with a dilucot.

 

[David]

Quick notes for future self.
Did a little side-by-side with day 2 and day 3, one on each cheek. Day 3 was a marginally closer and more comfortable shaver. Each stropped on cotton/suede/leather.

In the spirit of lighter pressure, I also shaved with lighter pressure than usual, trusting the razor to do the work, and it did. Pleasantly surprised, less irritation.

Will continue to use the same razors on a couple more Wid-style dilucots, then will give Monkeycot a run * dun dun duuuuuun *. After that, will revisit David’s method.

Have you tried taping the spine after you’ve maxed out on your dilutions, and doing 15-20 super light laps on water or oil on your finest coticule?

 

[captaincaed]

Have you tried taping the spine after you’ve maxed out on your dilutions, and doing 15-20 super light laps on water or oil on your finest coticule?

I’ve been honing on kapton tape in general recently based on a convo with Alex G. Thought I’d try it for a while. I’ll try adding a second piece for the finish!

 

[Empire straights]

Agreed, I do what works for me and dilucot is my desired method. I will say I have a couple of Modern slate backed Grise curved stones that or fast as hell, they do great on Oil only. If I go that route I always finish flat on oil anyway. I do what what works and swap things up. I was never one that was much for other folks rules, fears, wives tails, boogey men. I form my own opinions, do my own thing and trust my own results.

All of this solid advice. Pay attention to the end gents.

 

[Tomo]

I’ve been Coticule curious for some time. Like @Legion I’ve picked up a few of them over the years and let a few go that I wish I had kept. I still have a few to play with and have been following the thread with interest.

Today I went with a two stone approach using a big vintage and a modern La Veinette that Rob at Ardennes sent me when I asked him for a razor finisher.

Step 1. Slurry Dilution

Step 2. Maxing out large stone under running water.

Step 3. LV with oil. Handheld.

Step 4. Stropping on Tony Miller Linen and Horsehide.


Step 5. @JPO Monkey Dance. (Can’t hurt right?)

Results are similar to what I’ve had before. The HHT is there but it’s no light sabre. I feel like I could easily get more out of the edge by finishing on other stones. I’ll see how it shaves. There are still a few more things to try.

 

[Legion]

I’ve been Coticule curious for some time. Like @Legion I’ve picked up a few of them over the years and let a few go that I wish I had kept. I still have a few to play with and have been following the thread with interest.

View attachment 1966561

Today I went with a two stone approach using a big vintage and a modern La Veinette that Rob at Ardennes sent me as a razor finisher.

Step 1. Slurry Dilution

View attachment 1966557

Step 2. Maxing out large stone under running water.

View attachment 1966558

Step 3. LV with oil. Handheld.

View attachment 1966559

Step 4. Stropping on Tony Miller Linen and Horsehide.


Step 5. @JPO Monkey Dance. (Can’t hurt right?)

View attachment 1966560

Results are similar to what I’ve had before. The HHT is there but it’s no light sabre. I feel like I could easily get more out of the edge with different stones. I’ll see how it shaves. There are still a few more things to try.

Next time we trade something, chuck a razor with your coti edge that you have tried in the box. I'll touch it up with one of my finishers that I like, and send it back. Then you can see if it is better/worse than what you are getting.

 

[Tomo]

Next time we trade something, chuck a razor with your coti edge that you have tried in the box. I'll touch it up with one of my finishers that I like, and send it back. Then you can see if it is better/worse than what you are getting.

Sounds like a plan. The Coticule has been well regarded razor finish for many years. I can’t help feeling that they must have more to give. My results with them are ok but no where near some of my other stones. Maybe we just have more options these days.

 

[Legion]

Sounds like a plan. The Coticule has been well regarded razor finish for many years. I can’t help feeling that they must have more to give. I do feel like the bottom three on the left are finer. I’ll work my way through those later. There is still the unicot to try too.

Give it a go. I never really tried unicot that many times. Honestly, it felt like cheating, and I wanted to do it without tape. But that is probably just me being dumb, and if it works, it works.

Here is an opinion that is probably going to get some people mad, and throwing rocks...

After trying... I don't know how many coticules. My favourite finishers have turned out to be very old mined, antique ones. I have lots of newer stones that are fine for the early/mid/pre stuff. And many of them can finish ok. But my very best finishers are quite old.

Make of that what you will, but that's my experience so far.