Bart
Well-Known Member
Gentlemen,
I present 2 other odd specimens. They're completely identical, probably cut from the same slab of raw Coticule, so I'm treating them as twins.
This was an unknown layer for me. Never heard of it, never seen one before, till the previous visit at Ardennes.
Maurice told me up front they were very slow. He was correct. These are the slowest Coticules I've ever used. It took me more than the usual test sequence to figure them out.
They are very soft. I can scratch them with a finger nail. Please do not interpret that as a general statement about the entire layer. All layers seem to exists of harder parts and softer parts. I presume that's caused by differences in pressure during rock formation, maybe even the depths where the the rock resided during particular stages of its geological history.
But these are soft indeed. Slurry quickly forms while honing, and there's even a tendency of the edge to shave a thin part of the surface, once it starts gaining sharpness. You can't do any serious bevel work on these particular stones.
Dilution phase does work well, but pressure must be kept lower than on others, and water must be add with little drops, yet very often.
Finishing must be done under a slowly running tap. If you stick with that, it delivers a very sweet edge, that looks more polished that the typical edge coming off a Coticule.
Both hones completely lack the refined feedback of most Coticules. They feel coarser than they are, due to the structure of the surface.
If you're crazy about Coticules, like me, you will certainly love to play with one of these, and the finish may please you very much. But if you're looking for a first Coticule as your universal razor hone, I don't recommend buying one of these. I believe Ardennes doesn't sell them for razor honing purposes either.
Kind regards,
Bart.
I present 2 other odd specimens. They're completely identical, probably cut from the same slab of raw Coticule, so I'm treating them as twins.
This was an unknown layer for me. Never heard of it, never seen one before, till the previous visit at Ardennes.
Maurice told me up front they were very slow. He was correct. These are the slowest Coticules I've ever used. It took me more than the usual test sequence to figure them out.
They are very soft. I can scratch them with a finger nail. Please do not interpret that as a general statement about the entire layer. All layers seem to exists of harder parts and softer parts. I presume that's caused by differences in pressure during rock formation, maybe even the depths where the the rock resided during particular stages of its geological history.
But these are soft indeed. Slurry quickly forms while honing, and there's even a tendency of the edge to shave a thin part of the surface, once it starts gaining sharpness. You can't do any serious bevel work on these particular stones.
Dilution phase does work well, but pressure must be kept lower than on others, and water must be add with little drops, yet very often.
Finishing must be done under a slowly running tap. If you stick with that, it delivers a very sweet edge, that looks more polished that the typical edge coming off a Coticule.
Both hones completely lack the refined feedback of most Coticules. They feel coarser than they are, due to the structure of the surface.
If you're crazy about Coticules, like me, you will certainly love to play with one of these, and the finish may please you very much. But if you're looking for a first Coticule as your universal razor hone, I don't recommend buying one of these. I believe Ardennes doesn't sell them for razor honing purposes either.
Kind regards,
Bart.
