Ardennes-Coticule Selected (Thick Edition) Whetstone

The Ardennes-Coticule Selected is a premium natural finishing whetstone, handcrafted at the Ardennes Coticule factory in Belgium. The stone is quarried in the Ardennes Mountains, where select layers of rock with the highest garnet concentration are extracted — a natural abrasive renowned for its purity and smooth performance on steel.

Traditionally, Ardennes-Coticule stones feature a working layer of 4–6 mm, but occasionally unique, thick specimens are found — up to 11–13 mm. These rare stones offer the same outstanding finishing performance while providing a significantly extended service life. A single stone of this quality can last for decades of active use.

The grit is estimated in the JIS 10000–12000 range, making it ideal for final polishing, honing, and edge refinement. During use, the stone generates a fine slurry that allows for a gentle, controlled cut and produces a mirror-like edge finish.

Each stone is unique and may contain natural veins, inclusions, or micro-cracks — these are inherent features of the rock structure and do not affect sharpening performance.

Specifications:

• Size: 6.3×1" (160 × 25 × 15 mm) (including aluminum blank)

• Working layer: 5.9×1" (150 × 25 × 11–13 mm)

• Weight: 120–150 g

• Base: Aluminum blank with 3M PSA adhesive layer

• Abrasive type: Natural slate with high garnet content

• Country of origin: Belgium

Recommended use: with water. For enhanced polishing performance, use together with Ardennes-Coticule slurry stones.