I received my first coticule about a month ago. I do not know which layer but I feel sure it is one of the more difficult strata available. I use it to sharpen a vintage three-quarter hollow razor, really more re-sharpening, most evenings in pursuit of the elusive HHT 3. I have arrived at a few guiding principles for me, a newcomer, and invite comments and corrections based on your greater experience:
1. There is a tendency to use too thick of a slurry and for too many strokes on most razors, mainly talking about re-sharpening of razors not total makeovers.
2. After reading recent comments on technique from Bart and Emmanuel, fewer dilutions on slurry appear to be necessary. When considering and trying their approaches I realized that they were essentially saying and doing the same thing in slightly different ways.
3. That Emmanuel can achieve an HHT of 4 in 6 or so dilutions and a few on water while I seemingly repeat the same procedure and sometimes stumble to a 2 tells me that the use of pressure is the real key and that is what takes time to master. I feel stroke technique also plays a part, especially x strokes.
4. Strokes on water are also very important. Stropping 60 linen/60 leather also causes real increases in sharpness.
I am sure this list will grow with time. Now my question. I started tinkering with another razor. It is closer to a quarter hollow Dixie blue steel and requires much more effort to sharpen. Is this typical for less hollow razors or are others factors at play?
Thanks in advance and I appreciate all the instruction gleaned from these pages. There is still a significant learning curve but not a cliff.
1. There is a tendency to use too thick of a slurry and for too many strokes on most razors, mainly talking about re-sharpening of razors not total makeovers.
2. After reading recent comments on technique from Bart and Emmanuel, fewer dilutions on slurry appear to be necessary. When considering and trying their approaches I realized that they were essentially saying and doing the same thing in slightly different ways.
3. That Emmanuel can achieve an HHT of 4 in 6 or so dilutions and a few on water while I seemingly repeat the same procedure and sometimes stumble to a 2 tells me that the use of pressure is the real key and that is what takes time to master. I feel stroke technique also plays a part, especially x strokes.
4. Strokes on water are also very important. Stropping 60 linen/60 leather also causes real increases in sharpness.
I am sure this list will grow with time. Now my question. I started tinkering with another razor. It is closer to a quarter hollow Dixie blue steel and requires much more effort to sharpen. Is this typical for less hollow razors or are others factors at play?
Thanks in advance and I appreciate all the instruction gleaned from these pages. There is still a significant learning curve but not a cliff.