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Any guesses on the vein of this Natural Combo?

SliceOfLife

Well-Known Member
This stone arrived this morning. It's got a blueish green hue and looks very hard (haven't tested it yet), like some of my tan/brown vintages. Just from seeing them (I've never owned one), I'd take a wild guess that it's a La Verte or maybe La Grosse. I expect it will be hard, smooth and fast (but again, haven't tested it yet, just woke up and opened it).

First image is the bbw (has little grey/black/green (hard to tell) spots, like I see a lot in the vault (and in a couple vintages I own) on the Coti side, but this is on the BBW (although a very thin layer of it) side. 21

Then there's a shot showing most of the coti side. 22

Then a close up on the meeting (profile) 24

Then a close up on the coti. 25

Last is a shot of another part of the side (shows the distinction between the coti and bbw better) 23


Also, sorry to whomever I beat on it. I couldn't resist a shot at a nat combo in that size for that price.
[img=800]1[/img]
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[img=800]5[/img]
 
The pictures are way too blurry to decisively say, but my guess is La Verte. Take some more pictures? (I know your camera hates you.)
 
considering the blurry pictures my guess would also be a la verte but it could also be a la grise

kind regards
Stijn
 
Going to the PO, I'll try and get a clear picture when I get back. What's the most useful to get clear? Coti side, BBW side or profile?

Thanks.
 
3 clear shots of the coti. The sides and BBW didn't come out very clear.
I'll try and get a better profile.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj29/Lithan1/PICT0026.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj29/Lithan1/PICT0027.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj29/Lithan1/PICT0030.jpg


edit: attached a profile
[img=800]1[/img]
 
To the touch it feels hard (like some VERY hard vintages I have (the one I used in the video I put on B&B)), but I'll know for sure late tonight after I use it. I'm leaving for dinner in a few minutes.

Thanks again for all your help everyone.
 
I'm not a 100% sure since I vaguely recall that there may be some hard La Grises--and I have yet to lay my hands on any La Vertes--but that sounds to me like it's a La Verte. Nonetheless, the advice for the two layers (assuming it's not one of the atypical La Vertes) is similar enough for it not to matter too much. The big difference is that you can use a fair amount of pressure with a La Verte to speed things up. You need to be a little careful with La Grises since they're fairly soft and bits can flake off with pressure (at least it's happened to me).
 
life2short1971 said:
Does it feel sort of like the razor is cushioned when you hone on water only?

Slow side of La Nouvelle Veine. That's my first guess.
Could be La Grise as well.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
Bart said:
life2short1971 said:
Does it feel sort of like the razor is cushioned when you hone on water only?

Slow side of La Nouvelle Veine. That's my first guess.
Could be La Grise as well.

Kind regards,
Bart.

You've got a good point. I don't know how I missed those white dots (coticule version of su?). What confuses me, though, is those dark dot trails on the surface, which make me think La Verte. If only Ian's camera would cooperate with him more often.
 
I wouldn't say it feels cushioned. It feels on water like most coticules feel on slurry. As the edge develops, it almost feels like a coarser synthetic (very even, steady resistance, feels like it's doing a lot of cutting and doesn't seem to grip the razor the way a lot of softer coti's can). As the edge develops this VERY noticeably fades until it's gliding on the surface (when edge is maxed out on water). This is how most of my coticules (particularly harder ones) act, but this one is different in how noticeable it is. It really feels like you're running through a thick slurry when you just start out the water stage. Other coti's I've used on water seemed to vary from little feedback or just good grip/stickiness to almost feeling "crunchy", like they are ripping at the edge.


When wet the surface has kind of a sandblasted or inverted sandpaper look to it. It has texture, but it's very fine, I doubt anyone over thirty could see it. I have really good eyesight or I couldn't see it. It was very fast on water, seemed a little bit slow on slurry though. This is my first 3" wide coti (not counting a 3-3.5" wide bout I owned briefly) and it's getting compared mostly to 40mm wide ones, so some of my observations may be a reflection of the extra width. The surface doesn't feel nearly as glassy as my other hard coticules do. Somewhere between those and the softer, creamier, uniformly colored/patternless coti's I've owned.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll browse these veins representations in the vault and see if I can't find some traits in common that don't come through in the pictures I took.


Edit: Looking at the vault, I'd say there's almost no doubt it's a La Grise.

Under a 30x loupe I also notice that the surface has the texture of skin. A pattern that's like somewhat sloppy diamonds all over it in creasing channels. I also can't get it to show in pics, but about 60-80% of the coti side is covered with somewhat luminescent "scratches" in the size shape and pattern as if someone had taken 60-120grit sandpaper and went to town on it in back and forth strokes. There's no depth to the scratches, they're just some kind of inclusion. Bright, slightly pinkish white and VERY shiny under light.


Here's a pic of an inclusion that may interest you. Am I correct in assuming that greenish seam there is where there was a gap between the layers that they filled in? Seems really out of place and isn't there all around, just that one side and a patch on one other.

I also tried to get a pic of the "scratch" pattern I see. I added the black lines to show the direction of the markings to help you see them.
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[img=800]2[/img]
 
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