N°54 and n°52 - Les Latneuses

[Rosco]

i have to admit i would like to try a escher. Have you seen how much they cost! And all they do is finish an edge , coticule does every thing you will ever need. Apart from the ovious bevel rebuilds and real damage.

I have a 5"x1" Escher that I bought off ebay for just that reason. Had to try it. Don't think much of it actually. I can send it to you for a test drive if you like. You might like it, but I think it's more likely to make you like coticules more!

Connor

 

[garyhaywood]

ah dam , i just won one of ebay. it cost 316 dollars ah well i try it . I no i can sell again for same if not more in the future i would of took you up on the offer.

 

[Smythe]

ah dam , i just won one of ebay. it cost 316 dollars ....

Yiks!!!... they cost that much, not sure what the fuss about those stones... I tried a few but was not too impressed. But I suppose like all natural stones there are variances... hope you get better results than I did.

 

[garyhaywood]

i will try and post what i think.

 

[Rosco]

ah dam , i just won one of ebay. it cost 316 dollars ah well i try it . I no i can sell again for same if not more in the future i would of took you up on the offer.

Isn't that always the way! Oh well. Like you say, you can always sell it again for the same money. So it's not like it's money wasted even if you don't like it. Any photos?

 

[Bart]

Bart, are the Les Latneuses stones becoming rare?

I don't really know. In the past times I've visited Ardennes and went through their stock, there usually were no Les Latneuses present, at other times only one or two. Smythe bought the first one I ever saw. (n°19 of the Vault). It was an amazing hone, when I found one at my next visit (n°31), I didn't hesitate. That one really blew my mind, not only because of its speed, but only because I absolutely adore to hone on these. It's nearly impossible to explain. When honing on them, it almost feels as if these hones have slight magnetism. They're not: I've checked, but that's how that perfect ratio of slight stiction and resistance feels.
It's amazingly agreeable to hone on them and that seem to invite me to work with precision.
After that second one, I contacted Maurice of Ardennes. He went to the stock of raw rocks for me and through the supply of finished hones. He found 4 more. I've wrote a thread about these.
During my last visit, Maurice informed me that he found another raw plate of Les Latneuses and turned them into hones. I brought them all home. (n°51, 52, 53 and 55).
So it seems that these only turn up at a very slow rate. But there are so many factors in Coticule extraction, that it's impossible make hard predictions. If we get lucky, they find the Les Latneuses layer in good structural integrity as they quarry deeper into the Earth.

Best regards,
Bart.

 

[Moe]

Bart, Nº51 (my birth year ) is the one I am hoping to get, but I had wondered if there were others almost exactly like it (cut next to it) if I wasn't able to do that. Is that not the case? Thanks.

 

[Victorious]

It's not me that decides on Ardennes' prices, but I can make an educated guess.

Technically, n°52 could be a bout, because there's that small triangle missing at one corner. Or is could be a "standard" 150X50, standard grade because of the missing triangle.
So, it's a selected bout, or a standard hone. Guess what? A select bout size 9 costs 73 EUR, a "standard" hone 150X50 costs 74 EUR.
I think that the hones from the Burton Series will be about 25% more expensive (that includes a box you may not need or want, but costs about 10€ if you get it with another one). So we're looking at 92 EUR. If you realize that in case of this "Les Latneuses", you get 10mm of Coticule and 5mm of hybrid Coticule, I consider whoever gets it a "Lucky Bastard" (with capitals and with respect, of course).

Kind regards,
Bart.

Hopefully Ardennes will price the stone somewhere near your educated guess. At this point it definitely seems like a good deal. I'm eagerly awaiting the stone's return to Ardennes. As a back-up though, could I also reserve your number 50 if no one else has already? I've already contacted Ardennes about the other stones that are cut from the same piece, and they're all a bit big for my tastes.