The 1×6 Ardennes Coticule & BBW (Belgian Blue Whestone) Stones come in a standard 1″x6″ x 0.25″ thick (6mm) mounted to a standard aluminum blank, and will fit into any standard Jende JIGS, Edge Pro, Hapstone, TSProf guided sharpening systems, and with the Wicked Edge Uni Stone Holder Paddles. The BBW (Belgian Blue Whestone) is more abundant with a lesser concentration of garnets, and is approx. 4K in grit. The Coticule is the prized yellow stone that is renounced for use with straight razors, and is approx. 8K in grit. Sharpening with coticules and BBWs always uses water. All that is required is to wet the Coticule surface; there is no need to immerse the stone. During sharpening, garnets are released from the Coticule surface. The more garnets are released, the more abrasive the grinding compound becomes. A frequently used method for increasing abrasiveness is to use a rubbing stone/slurry stone to produce a grinding compound with a high garnet content on the Coticule surface. This is done by rubbing the Coticule surface of the rubbing stone over the Coticule surface of the whetstone. The milky white grinding compound does not take long to appear. For the fine honing, the grinding compound is diluted in a number of stages with a small amount of water until finally there is only water on the surface. This method, combined with the versatility of the Coticule, means that only one whetstone is needed for the entire sharpening process.
