37432899___Straight_Razor_Place_Library__Comments
[Name] Belgian yellow (Coticule) (no or very thin slurry) [Grit (approx.)] 10k [Typical use] Finishing/Polishing/ Sharpening [Comments] 
The Belgian coticule is found and mined mainly in the Ardennes region of Belgium. From the beginning of men using straight razors in the eighteenth century the coticule has been one of the most popular hones for sharpening straight razors. The coticule's cutting medium is garnet suspended in a mud binder hardened over millions of years by heat in pressure it is in the class known as metamorphic rock. The garnet suspended throughout the relatively soft binder of the coticule is the third hardest natural mineral and the rhomboid shape of these garnets cuts the steel of the razors edge in an efficient but shallow manner. This characteristic of the garnet combined with the soft binder releasing some and revealing new garnets may be why the coticule has proven ideal of honing razors leaving a sharp but gentle feeling edge. The coticule may be used with water only as a finisher or if more aggressive cutting power is desired with a slurry formed by rubbing the surface of the coticule with a stone, usually but not necessarily, of the same material. In the recent past many barbers would use lather on the stone as a honing vehicle and referred to their cotcules as soap stones. As with any natural stone it is difficult to place an exact grit rating on them. In general many experienced honers rate them in the 8k to 10k range. Ordinarily because by itself the coticule is relatively fragile to impact it is bonded to a piece of slate for reinforcement. Many years ago the yellow coticule was reinforced with it's blue cousin and glued to a piece of BBW. The coticule is mined along with BBW or Belgian Blue Whetstone. Occasionally the two are harvested in a proximity to each other that enables the quarry to cut the resulting stone combining the two with yellow on one side and the blue on the other. These natural, as opposed to glued, combination stones are more costly due to their rarity and are prized by collectors and honers alike.
Hones - comparison table - Straight Razor Place Library
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