Belgian Deep Rock coticule.

[Scotchhound1969]

Fishing for some information: In general, searches on the internet as well as here seem to cover a bit of information on, "Old Rock" coticules, but not much on the "Deep Rocks." Here is one i have and i was wondering if they are the same as the "Old Rocks," same company, mines?

Ive used a couple Old Rocks and liked them alot...they were both fast and fine finishers. This Deep Rock seems quite quite dense/heavy, a bit slower with slurry and just water, though it seems to hold its own nicely, when finishing an edge, though ive only honed a Red Imp straight on is so far.

Any information from your gents, would be most helpful regarding, this stone...which admittedly, i think is quite a looker, visually.

Many thanks,

Mac

 

[Bart]

This link about the topic of Deep Rock won't give you much additional information, but it is a fun read, particularly the end.

Kind regards,
Bart.

PS. I'll try to dig up some more later, but I remember looking for information about Deep Rock before, and didn't found much then.

 

[Scotchhound1969]

Ah...thanks for the link Bart! It provides a great deal more info./opinions than i was able to pull up on my own....anything else you can dig up, will be greatly appreciated as well.

I didnt post pictures of the box, but there are handwritting comments on the stone being, "Extra fine or choice," though i'll have to wait until i get home to quote directly.

Its the first coticule ive had, that is so proportionately heavy/dense...i look forward to really giving this stone alot of attention. Have you come across coticules that display such a variance in their weights? Are there any predictable assumptions that can be made of said density differences, with regards to the coticules?

Kind regards,

Mac

 

[Scotchhound1969]

Besides, generally finding coticules to be mesmerizing and a bit enchanting, i specifically like to collect and hone with, Deep Rocks and Old Rocks.

Here are a couple recent aquisition, for those interested.

Thanks to some helpful members on here, i have finally been able to realize a greater level of potential on these wonderous stones, than i was ever able to achieve before.

Thanks so much guys.

Mac

 

[Paul]

You know, the thing that bothers me about the vintage coticules is their heavy reliance on marketing tactics to sell them. Everyone knows they were picking the best stones for sale back then, and the ones currently available are the left over scraps that weren't good enough for razors. There's no need for labels like "extra extra", "extra fine", etc...

:

 

[Disburden]

You know, the thing that bothers me about the vintage coticules is their heavy reliance on marketing tactics to sell them. Everyone knows they were picking the best stones for sale back then, and the ones currently available are the left over scraps that weren't good enough for razors. There's no need for labels like "extra extra", "extra fine", etc...

:

LOL

Paul that's so weird because I just received a NEW La Veinette from Jarrod this weekend and it's my favorite coticule thus far...smallish in size too..only a 6x2" hone!

Old hones are awesome because they have that collectiblity to them in their old packaging but there really isn't much of a difference from what I've found. I've had new coticule I've loved and new ones I didn't like so much because they were harder to figure out how to use...same goes for different "vintage" coticules...

 

[Scotchhound1969]

Yep...i agree that a coticule is a coticule, for the most part.

For me personally and i admit to being a bit of a collector, as well as a user, i do like the old packaging these coticules come in for the looks as well as a bit of history, (distributor names, marketing strategies, art, etc...)

As long as man has been around, there has been some type of marketing i imagine.

Incidentally, the Deep Rock that looks like it would be a LPB, if it has been mined today, has a very odd but delightful feel/feedback to it when honing...unlike any coticule or stone ive used before. It seems to be pretty fast, compared to the other ive posted at the top as well.

Fun times gents,

Mac

 

[Pithor]

Paul that's so weird because I just received a NEW La Veinette from Jarrod this weekend and it's my favorite coticule thus far...smallish in size too..only a 6x2" hone!

Size means nothing
My La Veinette is a bout, approx. 4x1.5" (10x4 cm), I find it a near ideal size, an extra inch in length would make it perfect for my use.

As far as collectable hones: if you're in it for the historical aspect, I'd say happy hunting and honing. If you can get them for a decent price, I don't see why not. IMHO pretty much any straight/wet shaving item costing you more than $150 is a waste of money or at least slightly ridiculous.

I agree with the marketing thing and would like to throw in the 'pissing contest' aspect. Kinda like the thing with Eschers. I never got that, since I understood that an Escher is just a thüringian hone with a certain distributor label on it. And hence it is 'worth' nearly ten times as much as a 'vintage' thuringian, and some claim to get superior edges off of them just because they're Eschers (not saying that Escher didn't probably select the best stones they could; I don't know how distributikon worked back then). In comes the pissing contest, or the hone-penis: "Look at me, I have at least seven hones that cost me over $400 each!". I think everyone here will agree when I say that the "It was mined earlier because it was better" argument is a load of crock.

I'm actually looking into getting one of the MST 'new' thüringians (not the waterstone advertised by retailers as the Müller thüringians, but the actual ones they sell at MST), just to get some variation in finishes. I'm not sure how it works mining-wise with regards to thüringians, but I doubt that, as a natural hone, they newly mined ones are inferior to vintage ones (such as Eschers). Sure, they may perform differently, but again that's hard to say without intricate knowledge of the mines used a long, long time ago and the ones used now. They cost a fraction of Eschers and significantly less than 'vintage' unbranded ones, and I feel I can afford to try one out.

 

[Smythe]

Old better than new... escher better than thuri... folks swear by it, but the truth is… Mind Over Matter.

If you bought a $500 tool after you have been told by so many “it works wonders”... your mind will create the circumstances to justify the expense and belief. You will unconsciously treat it with the respect it deserves... and carefully use the tool to the best of your ability, often surpassing all previous results... in short: it a Confidence Builder.

We see confidence at work so many times in human achievement... sports for example, the home teem has the advantage as the crowd cheers them on to victory. A simple man may do wondrous and dangerous things never to be considered without his Lucky Charm. The woman behind the successful man...
... I could go on but you get the picture.

Then there is the fear of devaluation, I am sure no one wants to know they just spent $500 on a rare tool, only to discover it works no better than a new $50 tool, and then be left holding the proverbial "bag" if word gets around.

Fact is, the tool works so it's not a "white elephant". It's rare, so only a very few can prove the truth. Out of fear we "almost" unconsciously pass the "word of wonders". And those who dare to speak otherwise are discredited as an example to others, and so in fear they keep quiet... thus maintaining the allure... and value.

Indeed, the human mind is amazingly powerful and malleable thing...

 

[Bart]

:thumbup:

What the previous poster said.

 

[tat2Ralfy]

I'm actually looking into getting one of the MST 'new' thüringians (not the waterstone advertised by retailers as the Müller thüringians, but the actual ones they sell at MST), just to get some variation in finishes. I'm not sure how it works mining-wise with regards to thüringians, but I doubt that, as a natural hone, they newly mined ones are inferior to vintage ones (such as Eschers). Sure, they may perform differently, but again that's hard to say without intricate knowledge of the mines used a long, long time ago and the ones used now. They cost a fraction of Eschers and significantly less than 'vintage' unbranded ones, and I feel I can afford to try one out.

I have one, it cost me nothing, a gift from an old friend
It works wonderfully too :thumbup:

As Sir Cedric stated above, only my mind tends to be closed to hype, I am too long in the tooth for all that, and have always been a "lets see what I can do" kind of chap :thumbup: :thumbup:

Regards
Ralfson (Dr)