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Pastes and A Coticule Edge

B

bluemantra

Well-Known Member
I've been having some trouble with a razor, I've tried the dilucot method 4 or 5 times, tried CroX (was too harsh), tried the Unicot (not better than violin), and last night after the unicot I took the razor to Diamond .5 micron for 15 laps, and then went back to the coticule for 100 laps on water. Finally got a HHT of 3 to 4. This just seems to be stubborn razor and I'm frustrated with it. Will this give me the skin friendly properties of the coticule and the keenness from the Diamond paste?

I've become to accustomed to the friendly edge the coticule provides and found the chromium oxide edge to be extremely harsh. Thank you for the help gentlemen.
 
is it a razor whom you already shaved with (prior honing) or is it a razor you got from eg ebay?

because if it's the second it's possible the bevel isn't properly set an it could be it needs to be set on a lover grid hone (eg 600)

kind regards
Stijn
 
No it is not an ebay razor. It's a NOS 13/16 Weyersberg Cornetta. The bevel was set on a DMT 1200 and then moved to the coticule. Here's a photo of the razor in question.

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Shave029.jpg
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The razor looks in perfect condition. If, after stropping, you only reached the 'violin', I think you need to do further bevel work. So I would dull the edge over a glass (also to remove microteeth), and start again on the coticule (not the DMT).

That being said, with a NOS razor I wouldn't have started from the DMT but rather directly on the coticule (again, after dulling the edge).
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm using my LPB for this one. I also have a La Grise, La Dressante, and another LPB, plus my La Grosse Blanche coming that Bart selected for me. I'll shave with it tonight to see how the edge is with method I used last night. If still unsatisfied I will dull and bevel set on the coticule only.
 
Blue Mantra.I locate the problem to the experience at the final stage.If you are able to have
a decent edge by another honing tool even diamond and you can keep it after 100 laps on coticule ,that means 1)The edge is a coticule edge 2)You are capable to keep a decent edge on coticule.3) You haven't the experience yet to jump from the last dilution stage to the final polishing.So i suggest: do more half strokes on on water before X strokes,with the blade well tangent on the hone, i ll repeat one more this does not spend steel and not return back.
Keep us informed.
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
I agree with Emmanuel that it doesn't hurt to first try to do more strokes just on water. But if that doesn't solve the issue, and you still only get the violin, you'll have to go back further.

edit: I assume you get the violin after stropping on linen/leather ? Because with my LPB I happens that I get the violing before stropping, and after stropping ... bang HHT 3 - 4
 
I've noticed this with my LPB as well. I've sold my other Coticules and have been sticking to the same 125x30mm LPB, and it's been hard to tell that the edge is done because I don't get the same HHT off the hone like I did with my other stones. After stropping they are my best edges. I also agree with half strokes on water followed by a lot of x-strokes, and if that doesn't work maybe going back to a very light misty slurry with half strokes, rinse, half strokes on water, then x-strokes.
 
:) I've been reading and reading and reading.... this website is starting to feel like my second home. I'd like to thank everyone involved with Coticule.be for all the great information that can be gleaned, if one looks long enough and applies the advice to their honing.
But back to Bluemantra's issue. I also had a similar problem and did not want to go to the CroX paste as it is counter productive to the nice edge one gets from a good Coti sharpening. Taking a page out of fellow Canadian Chris Calve's book( I think I'd refer to him as "King of the Experimenter's", no disrespect Chris!!) I tried something that really worked well for me. I already know you have a DMT. I took my DMT and dry sanded my coticule until I had enough magic dust, ( which also lapped the stone ) and the mixed this coticule powder with a few drops of mineral oil. I then applied this to a Lee Valley paddle strop until nicely rubbed into the leather. Now instead of stropping with CroX I'm really stropping on the garnets of the stone. WOW! It really worked very well for me and I got that smooth coticle edge and shave. This also bumped the HHT from a 2 to a HHT 4 toute suite,in about 10-15 laps. Give it a try with that stubborn razor, which by the way is a beautiful looking blade. Cheers MikeR.:thumbup:
 
Mr.Mr said:
I tried something that really worked well for me. I already know you have a DMT. I took my DMT and dry sanded my coticule until I had enough magic dust, ( which also lapped the stone ) and the mixed this coticule powder with a few drops of mineral oil. I then applied this to a Lee Valley paddle strop until nicely rubbed into the leather. Now instead of stropping with CroX I'm really stropping on the garnets of the stone. WOW! It really worked very well for me and I got that smooth coticle edge and shave. This also bumped the HHT from a 2 to a HHT 4 toute suite,in about 10-15 laps. Give it a try with that stubborn razor, which by the way is a beautiful looking blade. Cheers MikeR.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Hm, makes me think that, next time I'll be in Vielsalm I'll bring a large tub to put in coticule powder from the attic.
 
decraew said:
Mr.Mr said:
I tried something that really worked well for me. I already know you have a DMT. I took my DMT and dry sanded my coticule until I had enough magic dust, ( which also lapped the stone ) and the mixed this coticule powder with a few drops of mineral oil. I then applied this to a Lee Valley paddle strop until nicely rubbed into the leather. Now instead of stropping with CroX I'm really stropping on the garnets of the stone. WOW! It really worked very well for me and I got that smooth coticle edge and shave. This also bumped the HHT from a 2 to a HHT 4 toute suite,in about 10-15 laps. Give it a try with that stubborn razor, which by the way is a beautiful looking blade. Cheers MikeR.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Hm, makes me think that, next time I'll be in Vielsalm I'll bring a large tub to put in coticule powder from the attic.
Click to expand...

Maybe Bart has some thoughts on this, start a business and market the stuff in a paste form? Similar to what Dovo or Thiers Issard do now with diamond paste and CroX. New mission for the quarry, save the dust!
 
Mr.Mr said:
decraew said:
Maybe Bart has some thoughts on this, start a business and market the stuff in a paste form? Similar to what Dovo or Thiers Issard do now with diamond paste and CroX. New mission for the quarry, save the dust!
Click to expand...

Great idea (if they haven't thought about it already)!
But let's wait until after I've passed by with said tub .... ;)
Click to expand...
 
Mr.Mr said:
New mission for the quarry, save the dust!
Click to expand...

They already do it. Bart once mentioned that there are barrels of yellow dust collected at Ardennes. ;)

Back to the razor in question (a beautiful one, IMO), bluemantra - sorry I don't recall your name, mate - are you 100% sure you set the bevel on your DMT? Hmm, I have just re-read your post and you're stating you had reached HHT 3 to 4 - did you shave with it at all?

The Unicot result is puzzling, to begin with. :blink: Try to work some more on water, indeed. If it fails, there must be something wrong with either bevel setting, or your stroke?

Keep us posted!

my best regards,
Matt
 
Thank you all for the wonderful comments and suggestions. I really do appreciate them. I did shave the other day the razor in question. This was with the diamond paste .5 micron and then 100 laps on the LPB with water only. The shave was much milder than without going to the coticule after using the paste. The sharpness still wasn't where I want it, but it was a big improvement. Tonight I will be dulling the razor on glass and working it all the way to shave ready on the LPB only using the dilucot method. I will report my results soon.
 
Matt said:
Mr.Mr said:
New mission for the quarry, save the dust!
Click to expand...

They already do it. Bart once mentioned that there are barrels of yellow dust collected at Ardennes. ;)
Click to expand...
actually they did save the dust but they stopped it because they had nothing to do with it. the old barrels are still there

kind regards
Stijn
 
For a while, it was under research to use the Coticule dust as ingredient for a facial scrub. Clay minerals and garnets, what could be better? :) The first time I visited Ardennes, Rob said his girlfriend and her friends used it as a very efficient anti acne cleanser. There was interest from the cosmetics industry, but some of the chemicals from the composition have not passed tests as required by EU regulations.

As far as turning Coticule dust into stropping paste is concerned, I have fooled around with that myself. It indeed works great. But that limited experience indicated that the strop needs to be re-pasted rather often.

Kind regards,
Bart
 
+1 on what Bart said. Coticule dust or slurry works well as paste on a pasted strop. I've tried it and I did notice an improvement.
 
:D :D :D It was just a thought that it could be made as a commercial product , the same as CroX paste. I'm sure others have thought of it. I'm a firm believer in the old adage " Everything old is new again" , straight razor shaving being a good example. All the best. MR.
 
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