The Belgian Coticule and Belgian Blue Whetstone (BBW) both work better when they are used with a slurry. A slurry is made by rubbing a smaller piece of the same stone – known as a slurry stone – on the surface of larger stone that is wet with water, releasing abrasives that make the stone more aggressive while sharpening.
In the case of the Belgian Coticule and Belgian Blue Whetstones, this slurry is what makes them so effective at sharpening and polishing, giving them the reputation for being nature’s one-stone solution for sharpening.
In the video, Coticule and BBW slurry stones are demonstrated by first spritzing a small amount of water on the surface of the stone and then rubbing the slurry stone on the surface. On the Belgian Blue Whetstone, the slurry will be a milky purple color and and the Coticule, it will be a milky white color. The more you rub the stones together, the “thicker” the paste becomes, and the more aggression the slurry will have.
When sharpening with the slurry, it will darken with use. When an edge is established, the aggression of the slurry is not as needed so water is gradually added to dilute the slurry back to just stone and clean water in order to bring out the maximum potential grit.
The Coticule and Belgian Blue Whetstone stone and Slurry stones can be found at Jende Industries, or on the direct links below:
Slurry Stones
1×4 KME Size Belgian Coticule
1×4 KME Size Belgian Blue Whetstone
1×6 Edge Pro, Hapstone and TSProf Size Belgian Coticule
1×6 Edge Pro, Hapstone and TSProf Size Belgian Blue Whetstone
