1×4 Coticule Stone & Belgian Blue Stone

The 1×4 Coticule Stone & Belgian Blue Stone come in a standard 1″x4″ x 0.25″ thick (6mm) and will fit into any standard KME Sharpener stone holder and the Wicked Edge Uni Stone Holder Paddles. They can also be used as field stones, slip stones, and even slurry stones.  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. 1×4 Coticule Select stone The 1×4 Coticule Select stone is mined by Ardennes Coticule in Belgium, and is traditionally one of the best all-around 1 stone sharpening and razor honing solutions. With an average grit rating of 6K-8K, building a slurry with a diamond plate or a smaller slurry stone actually makes the grit more like 2K, and finishing with clean water will bring out the finest potential finish. Compared to the BBW (Belgian Blue Whetstone) the Coticule has more than double the garnet concentration This stone is 1″ x 4″ in size mounted to an aluminum blank with a total thickness of 5-6mm.  It is used with water on the surface before use. Air dry after use. You can choose to keep the paste for the next use or rinse and start again. Abrasive Material: High Concentration of Garnet Ideal place in a sharpening progression: Starting grit for basic sharpening, routine maintenance, and final edge refinement. For establishing a shaving sharp edge After coarser natural and synthetic sharpening stone grits (1K – 4K grit) Before progressing finer synthetic stones and finer natural polishing stones and strops. The Coticule sharpening stone works on almost all types of knives, scissors, tools and chisels, including those made with abrasion resistant steels. While the 1×6 size is meant for use with the Edge Pro, Hapstone and TSProf sharpeners, it is also a great size for a slip stone, field stone or a pocket stone for knife repairs and sharpening on the go. This is a natural stone that is traditionally used with water. This stone can also be used in a mix and match progression of other synthetic and natural sharpening stones, as well with other brands such as Naniwa, Shapton, Suehiro, Imanishi, Spyderco, King, etc. Simply wipe the blade clean before and after switching stone types. On More Traditional Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel Edges the Coticule Select stone will establish very refined edge on kitchen knives made from makers like Henckels, Wüsthof, Gunter Wilhelm, F Dick, Victorinox, etc. and knives made with steels like X50CrMoV15, AUS6, and 440B. On the higher end of the hardness spectrum of traditional steel edges made with steels like 1095, 440C, 52100, Aogami White, O1, Shirogami Blue, W1, etc., the Coticule stone will start bringing out a bright finish on these harder steels, and a refined, sharp cutting edge. It also preps the edge for further polishing refinement by finer grits. On Carbide Forming Steel and More Abrasion Resistant Steel Edges such as D2, M2, S35V, S90V, VG-10, etc., The cutting characteristics of garnets in the Coticule stone abrade the matrix steel less aggressively, bringing out a more burnished surface with a sharp, even edge that is ready to use, and is also ready for further refinement. 1×4 Belgian Blue Whetstone The 1×4 Belgian Blue Whetstone (BBW) stone is mined by Ardennes Coticule in Belgium and is traditionally one of the best all-around one stone sharpening and woodworking tool solutions. With an average grit rating of 3K-5K, building a slurry with a diamond plate or a smaller slurry stone actually makes the grit more like 1K, and finishing with clean water will bring out the finest potential finish. Compared to the Coticule, the BBW (Belgian Blue Whetstone) has about half as much garnet concentration. This stone is 1″ x 4″ in size mounted to an aluminum blank with a total thickness of 5-6mm.  It is used with water on the surface before use. Air dry after use. You can choose to keep the paste for the next use or rinse and start again. Abrasive Material: Low Concentration of Garnet Ideal place in a sharpening progression: Starting grit for basic sharpening, routine maintenance, and working edge refinement. For establishing a very respectable all-around sharp edge After coarser natural and synthetic sharpening stone grits (220 – 1K grit) Before progressing finer synthetic stones and finer natural polishing stones and strops. The BBW sharpening stone works on almost all types of knives, scissors, tools and chisels, including those made with abrasion resistant steels. While the 1×4 size is meant for use with the KME Sharpener, it is also a great size for a slip stone, field stone or a pocket stone for knife repairs and sharpening on the go. This is a natural stone that is traditionally used with water. This stone can also be used in a mix and match progression of other synthetic and natural sharpening stones, as well with other brands such as Naniwa, Shapton, Suehiro, Imanishi, Spyderco, King, etc. Simply wipe the blade clean before and after switching stone types. On More Traditional Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel Edges the Coticule Select stone will establish one of the better natural stone edges on kitchen knives made from makers like Henckels, Wüsthof, Gunter Wilhelm, F Dick, Victorinox, etc. and knives made with steels like X50CrMoV15, AUS6, and 440B. On the higher end of the hardness spectrum of traditional steel edges made with steels like 1095, 440C, 52100, Aogami White, O1, Shirogami Blue, W1, etc., the Belgian Blue Whetstone will start bringing out an even matte finish on these harder steels, and a refined, sharp cutting edge. It also preps the edge for further polishing refinement by finer grits. On Carbide Forming Steel and More Abrasion Resistant Steel Edges such as D2, M2, S35V, S90V, VG-10, etc., The cutting characteristics of garnets in the BBW stone abrade the matrix steel less aggressively, bringing out a more burnished surface with a sharp, even edge that is ready to use, and is also ready for further refinement.