Thread: Royal Palmer Weekend Set

I won this matched pair of Royal Palmer and Company German razors in neglected but saveable condition.

Wanting a weekend set that was small enough to fit in a travel kit or overnight bag and also wanting a bow strop, I was inspired by a razor box kit I saw on ClassicEdge and got busy putting my own spin on it.

I used a strip of balsa, sanded, wetted and resanded thrice then coated with .25 micron diamond as the lid under the strop. Measured, turned, and cut the dowels out of balsa as well and ensured they were taller than the height of the space under the strop to guarantee everything stays snug during travel.

I used walnut on all ends and 3/8-16 tpi stainless steel rod, as well as stainless socket heads and threaded metal inserts in the walnut. I also used a brass tube in the main body to receive the rod and aid in strength while under tension.

I made the strop body out of lighter elm stained walnut and dished out under the wedge end to allow easy removal of the razors.

Glued green felt in the razor cradles, engraved it with the maker and my own personal name for the creation, and covered it in Varathane.

Researching the origin of the maker I presumed they were affiliated with 'The Palmer House' in Chicago, but do not thing that was the case after all. Found this 1908 advertisement.

So believe they were a stand alone entity. I liked the ad enough that I decided to seal it to the back of the case forever.

They are honed, one finished on a jnat, the other an Escher, polished up and done like dinner.
Cured the leather faithfully to an old Japanese manual I was given, and it turned out very smooth with a nice draw. The diamond on the inner board is a handy feature that will ensure I have a way to refresh an edge while away and provides nice support under the strop while stropping.
Finished dimensions are 2"x16.5" to top of handle with a 14" stropping surface, balsa board has a 12.5" length.
Test shave tomorrow but they both came up sticky, tree topping sharp so I expect to be happy.
Thanks for looking guys. Feedback always welcome.

Nice work! That's a really cool take on a weekend set.

Lovely work and resourceful as well.

Very Nice Mike...I like it!

Completely awesome...love the .25 diamond paste addition!

Very well done! I have wondered why I haven't seen more travel strop set ups like that. I have a few old examples but that is the best example I have seen in quite awhile. Well thought out and executed!

Originally Posted by MikeB52

I won this matched pair of Royal Palmer and Company German razors in neglected but saveable condition.

Wanting a weekend set that was small enough to fit in a travel kit or overnight bag and also wanting a bow strop, I was inspired by a razor box kit I saw on ClassicEdge and got busy putting my own spin on it.

I used a strip of balsa, sanded, wetted and resanded thrice then coated with .25 micron diamond as the lid under the strop. Measured, turned, and cut the dowels out of balsa as well and ensured they were taller than the height of the space under the strop to guarantee everything stays snug during travel.

I used walnut on all ends and 3/8-16 tpi stainless steel rod, as well as stainless socket heads and threaded metal inserts in the walnut. I also used a brass tube in the main body to receive the rod and aid in strength while under tension.

I made the strop body out of lighter elm stained walnut and dished out under the wedge end to allow easy removal of the razors.

Glued green felt in the razor cradles, engraved it with the maker and my own personal name for the creation, and covered it in Varathane.

Researching the origin of the maker I presumed they were affiliated with 'The Palmer House' in Chicago, but do not thing that was the case after all. Found this 1908 advertisement.

So believe they were a stand alone entity. I liked the ad enough that I decided to seal it to the back of the case forever.

They are honed, one finished on a jnat, the other an Escher, polished up and done like dinner.
Cured the leather faithfully to an old Japanese manual I was given, and it turned out very smooth with a nice draw. The diamond on the inner board is a handy feature that will ensure I have a way to refresh an edge while away and provides nice support under the strop while stropping.
Finished dimensions are 2"x16.5" to top of handle with a 14" stropping surface, balsa board has a 12.5" length.
Test shave tomorrow but they both came up sticky, tree topping sharp so I expect to be happy.
Thanks for looking guys. Feedback always welcome.

Mike, that is some excellent craftsmanship! Also it shows how much a postage stamp has gone up from 2 pennies since 1908!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Completely awesome...love the .25 diamond paste addition!

I like the .25 micron diamond spray on my fabric part of my strop but I'm sure the paste works great too!

Very well done Mike.
Thats just awsome.[emoji106]

Yea, nothing like a bellied hollow to let you know you are shaving with a lean mean hungry machine.

Bob

Really nice work, Mike!, As usual! Thinking out loud, here. Perhaps a sleeve or box of sorts to protect the leather during transit?