1x4 Belgian Blue Whetstone BBW ( Mined by Ardennes Coticule in Belgium )

The 1x4 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 1x4 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.

Hacks and Tips:

• A BBW slurry stone with water can make this stone much more aggressive by releasing the abrasives in the stone onto the surface of the stone - the thicker the slurry, the more concentrated the abrasives. The slurry is milky purple. You can also use a coarse or fine diamond plate to raise the slurry.
• Slowly diluting the paste with drops of water, the stone will become finer, and finishing with clean water only brings out the highest finish.
• Letting the used paste dry for the next use will also help with the cutting power without the need for raising an entirely new slurry. You can also use the slurry stone to “add” to the old slurry.
• This stone will need to be flattened periodically. Use a coarse or fine diamond plate, silicon carbide powders or coarse (120-320 grit) wet dry sandpaper.

Comparable Stones: Arkansas Hard White, Arkansas Bethesda, Arkansas Dota Creek