Considering Belgian Hones

[kg4ghn]

Have you considered a bout? They are not perfectly rectangular(they come in all kinds of shapes) but they are a little cheaper and still work just as good.

 

[TM280]

Thought I'd share my experience with size and BBW. I have gotten excellent shaves from finishing on the BBW side of my La Grise and wanted to try other blue stones. Yesterday I dilucotted a Sheffield on this raw hone I cut from a larger piece of coticule/BBW rock:

The usable surface is 135 mm x 40mm, just a little wider than some vintage coticules. I find this size very easy to use, I believe it concentrates all my attention on the edge and not the hone. No problem at all with any stroke.
What I can say about keeness: I am not sure that a direct comparison is possible. My La Grise BBW gives a superior, clean HHT, but this was rather strange. I got a "grippy" solid 3 off the hone (went back and forth finishing on water and misty slurry to test, ended up with slurry finish...) that was not greatly improved on the strop.

But the shave was eye-opening. Smoother than I have been getting off my Les Latneuses and plenty sharp for a close shave, no pulling. For me the biggest difference was, since I cannot do against the grain shaving without unwanted irritation, this edge was so smooth that against the grain was no problem. I had no worries about going over a spot too much, not even on my neck. And my skin felt replenished after the shave, and today.

All in all, I will be doing much more BBW honing. This experience was as if all the qualities I turned to coticules to find, were amplified. Plus the honing had a different feel, something new to learn

Update: I took this razor back to the hone before my second shave with it. 60 light laps on a two-stroke slurry, then 20 stropping strokes on the same slurry. A definite increase in HHT, as can be expected. And granted, I was a bit carefree with my shave based on the remarkable experience with previous one, but I felt the edge lacked the same "rejuvenating" feel. Maybe I should have followed the stropping strokes with a few regular x-strokes, but this definitely makes me think of my experience with wax on a coticule...

regards,
Torolf

ps: This BBW does not have the pronounced pink dots that we have begun talking about.

 

[DJKELLY]

Cool, Torbo. I haven't used my several BBWs nearly enough and your post will make me do it. It is funny how we get distracted in our hobby. I have been trying to get a Rolls Razor, without the guard, really comfortable and it is a chore. If you know them, they only have an edge the size of a DE blade and they are unwieldy to sharpen on a coticule. Ralfy gave me a tip that works for flipping the blade, so now I have to find the right combination. I think I will give it a go on a BBW.

Still waiting for package. Boy, you must have sent it from Mars. Denny

 

[danjared]

Ralfy gave me a tip that works for flipping the blade, so now I have to find the right combination. I think I will give it a go on a BBW.

Care to share?

 

[DJKELLY]

Ralfy gave me a tip that works for flipping the blade, so now I have to find the right combination. I think I will give it a go on a BBW.

Care to share?

Sure, Jared. Get a chop stick or a dowel with about the same diameter and work the end into a conical shape that will start into the hole on the side of the blade where the guard pivots. (Guard removed) I use a pencil sharpener to make it conical and then a pair of scissors to cut off the cone to the right diameter to start into the hole. When right it will stick solidly and allow you to flip the blade amost as quickly as with a straight razor. You have to put pressure on the blade itself when honing/stropping or your handle will loosen and come out.

As for Torbo's suggestion about BBWs, I tried it with the Rolls and it was the best edge I have had so far. I also used a larger paper clip that fits the blade perfectly to set a secondary bevel, which helps that razor immensely. I checked it out and it had a less than 17 degree bevel, and I am finding that can be a bit narrow for some steels. When right, it gets much smoother and sharper, just like Unicots do.

 

[danjared]

Ralfy gave me a tip that works for flipping the blade, so now I have to find the right combination. I think I will give it a go on a BBW.

Care to share?

Sure, Jared. Get a chop stick or a dowel with about the same diameter and work the end into a conical shape that will start into the hole on the side of the blade where the guard pivots. (Guard removed) I use a pencil sharpener to make it conical and then a pair of scissors to cut off the cone to the right diameter to start into the hole. When right it will stick solidly and allow you to flip the blade amost as quickly as with a straight razor. You have to put pressure on the blade itself when honing/stropping or your handle will loosen and come out.

As for Torbo's suggestion about BBWs, I tried it with the Rolls and it was the best edge I have had so far. I also used a larger paper clip that fits the blade perfectly to set a secondary bevel, which helps that razor immensely. I checked it out and it had a less than 17 degree bevel, and I am finding that can be a bit narrow for some steels. When right, it gets much smoother and sharper, just like Unicots do.

I'll have to give that a try sometime.

 

[dnullify]

Thanks for the report Torolf,
It's making BBWs look like worth a shot!

Have you considered a bout? They are not perfectly rectangular(they come in all kinds of shapes) but they are a little cheaper and still work just as good.

i've considered a bout, expect that the ones that have been individually pictured and rated aren't a heckova lot cheaper than just getting a smaller rectangular one

 

[geruchtemoaker]

i've considered a bout, expect that the ones that have been individually pictured and rated aren't a heckova lot cheaper than just getting a smaller rectangular one

my 30*120 is a bout actually it's a almost perfect rectangle(the short sides aren't parallel) and there is a corner who is "chamfered"

 

[dnullify]

That leaves a lot to chance though, doesn't it? i could end up with a near-square which would make for short laps, or a long and narrow strip which would be uncomfortable.

 

[danjared]

That leaves a lot to chance though, doesn't it? i could end up with a near-square which would make for short laps, or a long and narrow strip which would be uncomfortable.

That's part of the fun and learning, isn't it?

 

[geruchtemoaker]

That leaves a lot to chance though, doesn't it? i could end up with a near-square which would make for short laps, or a long and narrow strip which would be uncomfortable.

or you can just ask when you're ordering
I had the chance to pick it out with my own hands and test it before I bought it

 

[DJKELLY]

Or get a larger one, and dare I say, cut it. A tile saw makes short work of getting the perfect size for the application. Many on the site have luck with a hack saw. Ask them about it, cuz it doesn't work for me. D

 

[geruchtemoaker]

Or get a larger one, and dare I say, cut it. A tile saw makes short work of getting the perfect size for the application. Many on the site have luck with a hack saw. Ask them about it, cuz it doesn't work for me. D

I have a large one I don't really like to use because it's to big I've been thinking to cot it but after trying to cut a raw piece of coticule with a iron saw it took forever trying to clamp it to use a grinder broke it maybe I'll sell it an buy a more narrow one.
just saying cutting them isn't always that easy

cheers
Stijn

 

[DJKELLY]

If you can get it to a tiler in your area, it will take his just a minute to cut it with the diamond circular saw. If you feel froggy, you can jump at my offer to cut it for you, but the postage is a pain. I cut them all the time (bouts almost exclusively) for certain applications, as I prefer a narrow hone.

 

[dnullify]

What size should i look for?

It seems like it's still more expensive than a BBW, but perhaps i'll get the slurry stone with it.
I don't think the BBW comes with a slurry stone.

 

[geruchtemoaker]

If you can get it to a tiler in your area, it will take his just a minute to cut it with the diamond circular saw. If you feel froggy, you can jump at my offer to cut it for you, but the postage is a pain. I cut them all the time (bouts almost exclusively) for certain applications, as I prefer a narrow hone.

I think postage would cost me as much as buying a more narrow hone, although it a generous offer

 

[danjared]

If you can get it to a tiler in your area, it will take his just a minute to cut it with the diamond circular saw. If you feel froggy, you can jump at my offer to cut it for you, but the postage is a pain. I cut them all the time (bouts almost exclusively) for certain applications, as I prefer a narrow hone.

I think postage would cost me as much as buying a more narrow hone, although it a generous offer

You just need to meet his girlfriend at the right airport.

 

[DJKELLY]

You know, that is a good idea. Are you anywhere around Frankfurt, Paris, London, or Rome? She goes to all those, but there has to be someone in your area with a tile saw.

 

[Bart]

http://www.choicediy.co.uk/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=3673

 

[geruchtemoaker]

You know, that is a good idea. Are you anywhere around Frankfurt, Paris, London, or Rome? She goes to all those, but there has to be someone in your area with a tile saw.

those are rather far from where I live.
I should go asking around but I think it will hurt cutting it down