Hey all,
I wanted to share a story/experience I found interesting, I'm not trying to say or prove anything here, just saying what I'm experiencing.
First off, I have my great grandfather's natural combo bbw/coticule.
When I first got my hands on the hone, it was dirty. It felt glazed over, and I could imagine it had lost all of his sharpening abilities and quality, no water would stay on the hone, and would just drop right off, the water just disappeared off the hone like a magic act, the surface on the coti and bbw was darkened.
So I then proceeded to lap the hone clean, both the bbw and coticule side. The hone looked as good as new, no problems with it, water would just stay on the hone. The hone itself feels very hard and is a very soft finisher. I had to use quite some elbow grease to lap that hone.
Ever since I lapped the hone I have been using it with water only, and to experiment with some lather occasionally.
I took out the hone earlier today and experienced something strange, the coticule/bbw feels somewhat ''clogged''. I'm not saying it is less effective, but there is something going on here.
It seems to me the coticule and bbw have a somewhat metal shine to its surface caused by what I assume are metal particles released from the razors (what else could it be :| )
That doesn't bother me as much for the fact that water will not stay on my coticule or bbw surface at all.
I've got a couple of pictures to illustrate what I mean:
I was trying to hone my razor on the bbw side, and I was a little annoyed that the water would just 'drop off'
I liberally put water on the coticule, and immediately this happens:
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0341.JPG[/img]
then in a second it looks like this;
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0339.JPG[/img]
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0337.JPG[/img]
I found this rather weird and was wondering what was going on here.
I have never used oil on the hone, but it feels like it has an oily protective layer on it, even on the sides, it's pretty weird.
So I read a coticule (and bbw?) cannot get clogged and they self renew their surface by releasing grit. Maybe the fact it is such a hard stone has something to with it, I don't know.
When I used the hone in the past, I always used it with tap water and just rinsed it off with tap water, rub my hand over the surface and let it air dry, maybe water drying on the hone had something to do with it? No idea.
It seems the only way I can keep water on the hone is to hone on lather.
My great grandfather's razor box came with 2 razors a hone and - a pencil - B) . Hah, I don't know, but it is weird to keep a pencil in that box with your razors and your hone. Coincidence? Probably. Did he use it for maybe an indicator for lapping purposes? I don't know, maybe. It is a green pencil and I can see it clearly on the bbw and yellow side; I just wanted to say this cause that has been on my mind for a while now, he might've experienced the same I am experiencing, though I haven't got a clue.
It's weird, I might try to soak it in water for a while and see if that changes anything, I somehow doubt it will.
That's it, just wanted to share this,
if you want to give some feedback or say anything feel free to do so.
Just wanted to share this observation of my experience.
Oh yeah, I did hone on the bbw side and have yet to shave with the razor, so I have no idea if this phenomenon actually has influence on the honing properties and qualities of the hone, tho I have also never shaved off the bbw without using the yellow next, so there is nothing I could actually say about it or compare it to
.
Although I have a hunch that with some metal built up, as it seems, and the water not staying on the hone it could have some effect on the edge and maybe cause the hone to lose some of his sharpening quality. Again, I have no idea.
Anyway,
have a good one,
cheers,
Jasper
*edit*
hmm, silly me totally forgot I once wrapped my coticule for transportation purposes in some medical alike gauze dressing stuff, that couldve had something to do with it, woops
I wanted to share a story/experience I found interesting, I'm not trying to say or prove anything here, just saying what I'm experiencing.
First off, I have my great grandfather's natural combo bbw/coticule.
When I first got my hands on the hone, it was dirty. It felt glazed over, and I could imagine it had lost all of his sharpening abilities and quality, no water would stay on the hone, and would just drop right off, the water just disappeared off the hone like a magic act, the surface on the coti and bbw was darkened.
So I then proceeded to lap the hone clean, both the bbw and coticule side. The hone looked as good as new, no problems with it, water would just stay on the hone. The hone itself feels very hard and is a very soft finisher. I had to use quite some elbow grease to lap that hone.
Ever since I lapped the hone I have been using it with water only, and to experiment with some lather occasionally.
I took out the hone earlier today and experienced something strange, the coticule/bbw feels somewhat ''clogged''. I'm not saying it is less effective, but there is something going on here.
It seems to me the coticule and bbw have a somewhat metal shine to its surface caused by what I assume are metal particles released from the razors (what else could it be :| )
That doesn't bother me as much for the fact that water will not stay on my coticule or bbw surface at all.
I've got a couple of pictures to illustrate what I mean:
I was trying to hone my razor on the bbw side, and I was a little annoyed that the water would just 'drop off'
I liberally put water on the coticule, and immediately this happens:
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0341.JPG[/img]
then in a second it looks like this;
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0339.JPG[/img]
[img=800]http://users.telenet.be/jasp87/IMG_0337.JPG[/img]
I found this rather weird and was wondering what was going on here.
I have never used oil on the hone, but it feels like it has an oily protective layer on it, even on the sides, it's pretty weird.
So I read a coticule (and bbw?) cannot get clogged and they self renew their surface by releasing grit. Maybe the fact it is such a hard stone has something to with it, I don't know.
When I used the hone in the past, I always used it with tap water and just rinsed it off with tap water, rub my hand over the surface and let it air dry, maybe water drying on the hone had something to do with it? No idea.
It seems the only way I can keep water on the hone is to hone on lather.
My great grandfather's razor box came with 2 razors a hone and - a pencil - B) . Hah, I don't know, but it is weird to keep a pencil in that box with your razors and your hone. Coincidence? Probably. Did he use it for maybe an indicator for lapping purposes? I don't know, maybe. It is a green pencil and I can see it clearly on the bbw and yellow side; I just wanted to say this cause that has been on my mind for a while now, he might've experienced the same I am experiencing, though I haven't got a clue.
It's weird, I might try to soak it in water for a while and see if that changes anything, I somehow doubt it will.
That's it, just wanted to share this,
if you want to give some feedback or say anything feel free to do so.
Just wanted to share this observation of my experience.
Oh yeah, I did hone on the bbw side and have yet to shave with the razor, so I have no idea if this phenomenon actually has influence on the honing properties and qualities of the hone, tho I have also never shaved off the bbw without using the yellow next, so there is nothing I could actually say about it or compare it to
.Although I have a hunch that with some metal built up, as it seems, and the water not staying on the hone it could have some effect on the edge and maybe cause the hone to lose some of his sharpening quality. Again, I have no idea.
Anyway,
have a good one,
cheers,
Jasper
*edit*
hmm, silly me totally forgot I once wrapped my coticule for transportation purposes in some medical alike gauze dressing stuff, that couldve had something to do with it, woops
