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Oil on coticule?

Deckard

Well-Known Member
Has anyone tried using oil instead of water on a coticule.
If so what was the reslut.
Just for the hell of it I thought I might try this some time, I've seen occassional mentions of using oil else where, but not sure if it would offer any benefit.
I would imagine that oil wouldn't harm the hone in any way and could be cleaned up easily.
I know once you use oil on porous type stones that's pretty much it as far as any other use in concerned.
Any thoughts on this chaps?
 
I have a confession to make....:blush:
I use oil all the time on my cotis now. It's part of my regular honing routine at this point. I've experimented with a few different types, and right now I'm actually using Johnson's Baby Oil. Smell to high heavens, but the viscosity seems to be about right. I can't find honing oil in my town, but I'll eventually order some.
I go to the oil after a full dilucot and do about double the number of laps as with a water finish. I can routinely come off the hone with a HHT4 and after stropping, I don't think that the scale even goes that high.
It's my belief that it helps to set a finer edge.

I haven't had any issues with it staining the stone on either my Le Verte or my Le Dressante ea Blue. I've even forgotten to clean it off and let it sit overnight and had no problems. The stone is completely unharmed by it.
 
Actually unless encouraged by someone who was doing it for a long time, I would never dare to. I used to apply light oil on my Arkansas stone - they even instructed to do so - and the swarf built up over time and I had finally to do some lapping to get it back to original bite. So, Chris, come back in a year or so. ;)

regards,
Matt
 
Arkansas stones are more porous than coticules. Even a tranlucent Arkansas will build up swarf over time, moreso when used with water. Try soaking it in vinegar instead of ruining the smoothed surface with lapping. Arkansas stones, unlike coticules, are heavily affected by the grit level they are last lapped at.
 
I have used oil on coticules since I have had coticules, and though I don't use it every time (lazy) it will definitely increase the keenness of the edge, before and after stropping. Chris and I have experimented a great deal with this method and it works with no ill effects whatsoever. It doesn't have to be messy, and it leaves the blade with a protective coat.

In addition, for another little trick, try black coffee. It will turn even darker with use and you can gauge how far along in the process you are at the moment with the color change. Also, coffee has a little oil in it and will reduce surface tension of water, similar to dishwashing liquid, so the fluid will run up the edge when it is refined. I keep a little pump bottle for use at the sink and it may be my imagination, but I think I get a little better keenness with the method.

Coffee may stain some of the softer coticules like the creamy side of my les latneuses. Just specks of something are colored and will lap out, but I am now a more sophisticated "non-lapper" for the most part. It surely doesn't affect the honing property of the stone, and that is the bottom line to me.
 
Going over today's to-do list, coffee in hand. First up, hone my problem razor again... Oh, shit! spilled my coffee on my coticule... well, that works... Second thing on list...:lol:

regards,
Torolf
 
No no, you're supposed to use milk. Remember, "milk, not cream, and never yoghurt". But it has to be organic 2% milk. Use rice milk on Japanese blades. Add a bit of coffee only for American blades.
 
DJKELLY said:
I knew it!! I'm never posting again. Holding my breath, etc.:mad:
see there you go building Gerrits hope up!

Think Nelson from the Simpsons..... HAR HAR (pointing) hahahahaha

I never tried oil, but I have on other stones and it works, however..... brace yourselves.....

If one has truly mastered the Coticule, all you will need is water, any other medium is only useful to those that lack the abilty to reach the full potential of this art in its purest form Grasshopper.

Now get your sorry selves back in the sweat lodge and dont come out until you can walk on the rice paper and leave no marks! hahahaha

Seriously if it works for you its cool of course, I would never say it was cheating, not ever no not me .... lol

Regards
Ralfson (yes Denny I do have 2 dragon Tattoos on my forearms, and no I dont have any cartoons what so ever..lol)
 
Can you use mineral oil for this purpose? I have only this on hand and I have heard of using oil on coticules from a few people and it also says on my vintage one's box that oil brings a very fine edge. From what I've been told by users of oil on coticules, the oil doesn't absorb into the stone like other stones.
 
tat2Ralfy said:
DJKELLY said:
I knew it!! I'm never posting again. Holding my breath, etc.:mad:
see there you go building Gerrits hope up!

Think Nelson from the Simpsons..... HAR HAR (pointing) hahahahaha

I never tried oil, but I have on other stones and it works, however..... brace yourselves.....

If one has truly mastered the Coticule, all you will need is water, any other medium is only useful to those that lack the abilty to reach the full potential of this art in its purest form Grasshopper.

Now get your sorry selves back in the sweat lodge and dont come out until you can walk on the rice paper and leave no marks! hahahaha

Seriously if it works for you its cool of course, I would never say it was cheating, not ever no not me .... lol

Regards
Ralfson (yes Denny I do have 2 dragon Tattoos on my forearms, and no I dont have any cartoons what so ever..lol)
"Cheating"?? This from someone who calls a pasted balsa a HONE!! It's too messy for me anyway. Danny/Gimme 4T
 
I tried oil on my La Nouvelle Veine last night and made about 30 laps, I used mineral oil. I didn't realize how honing with this would be compared to water, it's rather hard to push the blade through.

I did a sharpness test on my arm and the hairs cut very well after the oil method, I will post a shave result.

Again, this is for mineral oil, I don't have sewing machine oil.
 
Baby oil is a form of mineral oil. Mineral oil doesn't stink either. You never know the long term effects of parfume on coticules.:p
 
deighaingeal said:
Baby oil is a form of mineral oil. Mineral oil doesn't stink either. You never know the long term effects of parfume on coticules.:p

From what I've been told by several people, coticules don't take in any of the oil and the old Vintage coticul I own in the box says you can use oil on it.
 
garyhaywood said:
i also never tryed oil, i have plenty of clipper oil which is similar to 3 in 1 oil . i may give it a go,

gary

Gary give it a shot and let me know what you think, I didn't shave with the razor today, it'll be tomorrow's shave.
 
Well, here's where I'm at: my current progression goes something like this: DMT 1200 for about 15 or 20 laps, either my Le Dressante eau Blue or me Le Verte, regular dilucot all the way to hht 1 or 2 off the hones. From there I put about 6 or 8 drops of oil on the hone, and do about 40 to 60 very light half-strokes, and then 60 or 80 x-strokes, refreshing the oil a drop or two at a time. It's to the point where I can come off the hone with a HHT4, using my daughters extremely fine hair. After stropping, the edge is insanely sharp. Taking one of the finest hairs of a group of fine hairs, I can lay the hair across the edge any distance at all from the holding point and have it fall silently away. I've taken these edges, and, mid shave, stropped them on a TI pasted strop, and seen no improvement. Nor do i see any improvement on a coti pasted strop.

To arrive at the peculiar choice of "baby oil' I went through just about every wettish substance in my house: every oil I have in my pantry, glycerine, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, mineral oil from the drug store, castor oil, and jojoba oil, and, of course, Denny's coffee trick. (even milk.... you know?... "milky" slurry?... seemed obvious to me.... though I haven't tried yoghurt... yet...) Baby oil seems to have a good balance of viscosity with slickness. ("No-name", generic, baby oil, not so much)

BUT... and here's the caveat, for me: I'm struggling now with edges that are too sharp, and lack a certain smoothness. Very reminiscent of the unicot edge Bart had me do once, sans slurry. Sharp, and very keen, but lacking that legendary smoothness. I keep thinking of the Bart's mention of how slurry seems to "massage" the edge of a typical coti edge, and can't help but think that I've simply gone too far down the sharp road, and left the smoothness somewhere behind.

So, I don't know, maybe Ralfy's right (the cove!) and I'm simply unable to maximize the stone with water alone. I have no doubt that the effect of oil could be reproduced with skill on water alone in the right hands, but for me, the use of oil allows me to achieve that maximum.

Sorry for rambling... I've been enjoying a nip of a very fine rum that was a gift from a happy customer, and I tend to wax eloquent when I'm half pissed!:D

Cheers,
-Chris (the drunk canuck)
 
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