yohannrjm
Well-Known Member
A quick perusal of Bart's evaluations of the hones in the vault is enough to convince one that while all cotis require techniques that are mostly the same, the differences between one hone and the next do require some tweaking of technique to get the best out of each.
I knew this going in to honing with cotis (the last class of natural hone I picked up). I've had some experience honing straight razors on synthetics, Japanese naturals, Thuringians, etc.
The first coti I got was this one:
(click on the images for large versions)
It is a natural combo with only a very fine coti layer in some parts. It came with a matching (visually, anyway) slurry stone. Slurry forms easily on it, and it is quick. Only the lightest pressure was adequate past the bevel setting stage.
The resulting edges are mellow and a pleasure to shave with. The BBW side was also very useful as a preliminary step to just water on the coti side. I honed several razors on this hone with the same great results.
This positive experience got me hooked on cotis, but my financial state at the time did not allow the collection of any more hones. However, Bart came to the rescue. He hooked me up with this (very different looking) coti:
No problems here about the depth of the coti layer
:. His evaluation was that these hones are slowish, but you get great edges off slurry, and brilliant edges off water (paraphrasing his comments).
I was quickly convinced about the slowness, and I did get quite good results off slurry. Getting an adequate slurry was a problem, as the stone is very hard and smooth (like marble). However, for the life of me, I couldn't get much refinement with plain water. This was frustrating and I started hunting for another coti.
Yesterday, I was reading another thread on this site, and I read about the need for some pressure while honing. I tend to use little to no pressure on the blade past the bevel-setting stage (on any hone).....a hangover from reading all the posts on B&B, SRP and elsewhere. Anyway, I thought I'd give that a go (with the new and improved dilucot technique).
Wow!! The results were amazing!! I've honed three razors using a little pressure (just a finger weight) on this hone, even when I was at the plain water stage. This resulted in great edges on two razors and a nearly great edge on the third. This is from the HHT ---- I shaved with one of them this morning (a Boker Unrivalled Hollow Ground), and got a smooth, comfortable, close shave. No sting to speak of when putting on the AS. :thumbup:
Well, this showed me:
a) That I need to pay attention to Bart when honing on cotis :thumbup:
b) Techniques need to be adjusted for different hones
c) Not to give up on a hone just because initial results are not promising
Love these hones!! :love:
NOTE: You can see some whitish swirls on the right side of the second coti. I believe these are quartz inclusions. There seems to be a bit of a lip developing there (from the slurry building process). I avoid that portion of the hone now when honing, but perhaps I'll lap the other side and use that instead.
I knew this going in to honing with cotis (the last class of natural hone I picked up). I've had some experience honing straight razors on synthetics, Japanese naturals, Thuringians, etc.
The first coti I got was this one:
(click on the images for large versions)
It is a natural combo with only a very fine coti layer in some parts. It came with a matching (visually, anyway) slurry stone. Slurry forms easily on it, and it is quick. Only the lightest pressure was adequate past the bevel setting stage.
The resulting edges are mellow and a pleasure to shave with. The BBW side was also very useful as a preliminary step to just water on the coti side. I honed several razors on this hone with the same great results.
This positive experience got me hooked on cotis, but my financial state at the time did not allow the collection of any more hones. However, Bart came to the rescue. He hooked me up with this (very different looking) coti:
No problems here about the depth of the coti layer
:. His evaluation was that these hones are slowish, but you get great edges off slurry, and brilliant edges off water (paraphrasing his comments). I was quickly convinced about the slowness, and I did get quite good results off slurry. Getting an adequate slurry was a problem, as the stone is very hard and smooth (like marble). However, for the life of me, I couldn't get much refinement with plain water. This was frustrating and I started hunting for another coti.
Yesterday, I was reading another thread on this site, and I read about the need for some pressure while honing. I tend to use little to no pressure on the blade past the bevel-setting stage (on any hone).....a hangover from reading all the posts on B&B, SRP and elsewhere. Anyway, I thought I'd give that a go (with the new and improved dilucot technique).
Wow!! The results were amazing!! I've honed three razors using a little pressure (just a finger weight) on this hone, even when I was at the plain water stage. This resulted in great edges on two razors and a nearly great edge on the third. This is from the HHT ---- I shaved with one of them this morning (a Boker Unrivalled Hollow Ground), and got a smooth, comfortable, close shave. No sting to speak of when putting on the AS. :thumbup:
Well, this showed me:
a) That I need to pay attention to Bart when honing on cotis :thumbup:
b) Techniques need to be adjusted for different hones
c) Not to give up on a hone just because initial results are not promising
Love these hones!! :love:
NOTE: You can see some whitish swirls on the right side of the second coti. I believe these are quartz inclusions. There seems to be a bit of a lip developing there (from the slurry building process). I avoid that portion of the hone now when honing, but perhaps I'll lap the other side and use that instead.
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