Coticule

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Darrenj67

Guru
Could anyone point me in the right direction for a coticule for refreshing an edge please. Best place to get one or where to avoid would be great, thanks.
 
J

JPO

Veteran
I got most of mine directly from Ardennes. You can email them directly and ask for a specific vein/layer. They will all usually get you close the the same place, but i do prefer my LV and my Les Lat. Some are easier to learn then others. I have four stones which are all quite different. I was not able to get good results with my La grise. It can set a bevel, but will not finish well.
 
BlacknTan

BlacknTan

Forum GOD!
Buying a coticule that's exceptional for straight razors today, is even more of crapshoot than it was in the past, IMHO. I've got a few less than stellar stones to prove that. I've stopped buying new stones from Ardennes, and I strictly buy vintage showing the qualities and markings that I like, that usually produce a superior stone.

Coticules are abundant, good coticules for razors, much less so, and coticules to rival the best from Asia and Germany, far more rare than that. The best approach is to buy from someone whom you trust, and who knows and tests coticules.

I have an "Old Rock" coming in from a UK friend as we speak. He said it's a good as any coticule he's ever used, and he has used hundreds of them... that's good enough for me...
 
BlacknTan

BlacknTan

Forum GOD!
Well, the "Old Rock" arrived last evening. A little over 24 hours for delivery from across the pond.

This stone has all the attributes I favor in a coticule. It's very hard, shows manganese lines in the surface, shows yellow libes in the BBW, and it a natural combo. The stone was tested and given the "thumbs up" by a friend and Master "Coticuleer."

Will be used for today's SOTD.





 
MichaelS

MichaelS

Forum GOD!
BlacknTan said:
Buying a coticule that's exceptional for straight razors today, is even more of crapshoot than it was in the past, IMHO. I've got a few less than stellar stones to prove that. I've stopped buying new stones from Ardennes, and I strictly buy vintage showing the qualities and markings that I like, that usually produce a superior stone.

Coticules are abundant, good coticules for razors, much less so, and coticules to rival the best from Asia and Germany, far more rare than that. The best approach is to buy from someone whom you trust, and who knows and tests coticules.

I have an "Old Rock" coming in from a UK friend as we speak. He said it's a good as any coticule he's ever used, and he has used hundreds of them... that's good enough for me...
Click to expand...
100% on very hard/smooth, vintage cotis being the ones to go for and your new Old Rock is one of the finest examples, congrats @BlacknTan! My experience:

- I have eight coticules and all cut steel.
- Five are very hard/smooth and can finish razors to my satisfaction (i.e. no help needed from pastes or lots of linen).
- Three of them are softer/friable and can't finish a razor. They're relegated to bevel setting, when I bother doing this with a coti (expensive tools for this job, sigh!)
- Buying by mail order has been a lottery. e.g. I have two La Vertes, one a finisher and one which can't finish. The finisher I chose in person at Salmchateau (I live in Belgium), the other, non-finisher came by mail order. Having said that, two of my finishers were mail orders from AC, excellent hard and smooth stones but totally lucky dips with hindsight.
- Buying by vein is also a lottery, my two La Vertes show that you can have good and less good stones from the same vein. In addition, my two other non-finishers are the highly-reputed La Veinette and La Dressante - and yet I have friends, whose opinions I trust completely, who swear by theirs (should be noted these two veins have been mined for many decades).

It's complicated!

Will try and post photos shortly, all feedback welcome!
 
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MichaelS

MichaelS

Forum GOD!
Per above, my hard/smooth finishers:

Stone on top of the others: narrow 19th century stone, natural combo with BBW but the yellow side is amost worn out, came from Brussels flea market in a broken paddle which I'll get round to restoring one day. I use both sides.

From left underneath:
- La Nouvelle Veine ('The New Vein'), lucky mail order dip from Ardennes Coticule (AC) about 25 years ago, natural combo with BBW, I use both sides. My first coticule.
- La Grise ('The Grey One'), second lucky mail order dip from AC (still a newbie, I had to have a larger stone), natural combo with BBW with blurred transition, I use both sides. I read a lot of 'meh' reviews about La Grise stones on the forums but this one is great for me - which probably shows the large quality variances possible within the same vein.
- No-name, orange-coloured bout (fragment), glued to salm rouge (red-tinted version of BBW). I use both sides. I acquired this from the AC booth at the annual Gembloux (Belgium) custom knife show. They happened to have NOS fragments still packed in a Burton-labelled wooden crate and I was fortunate to get the last one. The Burton family owned and operated the coticule mines for many decades prior to AC, who knows where AC found this crate.
- La Verte ('The Green One') fragment. I chose this personally during a visit to the AC workshop in Salmchateau. Glued to slate.



And a side view:



I'll post photos of my non-finisher cotis later.
 
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