Thread: The great experiment

Ok, today, and the next 5 shaves will be with this new for me old beauty. It was in the original rotation for this thread from Tom, and refused to go back to Texas.

It is a Joseph Elliott "Best Silver Steel" in Ivory with a neat silver inlay. It has some really interesting spine work which I will get pictures of later, once I have shaved and cleaned it up. This picture is from its first appearance in this thread, because this morning it was still oiled up from a month off. I'm going to use MDC for this week, because it was discussed elsewhere and I want to experiment with it some. My face can't wait! More to follow.

That's a nice shaver! I have had issues before getting old Elliott wedges to shave their best, but that one went surprisingly easy, Harold! My thoughts on it was how perfect the size, balance, and tightness was.
Easy and smooth.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

That's a nice shaver! I have had issues before getting old Elliott wedges to shave their best, but that one went surprisingly easy, Harold! My thoughts on it was how perfect the size, balance, and tightness was.
Easy and smooth.

I agree Tom, and I'm going to weigh it to get some reference to the weights Leatherstockings is posting, because it feels as good in my hand as anything. maybe I'll try to get some pictures of its balance point (without dropping it)

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I agree Tom, and I'm going to weigh it to get some reference to the weights Leatherstockings is posting, because it feels as good in my hand as anything. maybe I'll try to get some pictures of its balance point (without dropping it)

And the Elliott weighs in at 51 g, and as a correction, the inlay is brass, not silver. It is really a showcase razor that shaves like a dream. Great shave today (wife was napping), with MDC and the famous Pixelfixed badger brush, straight to the face. Was like dancing with a favorite girl...everything just fell in line, from the lather through the shave...a damn fine shave!

I have one with the same spine work, quite a shaver, I clothed it in streaked horn, but that ivory looks way better.

Would love to see a picture!

Originally Posted by jfk742

I have one with the same spine work, quite a shaver, I clothed it in streaked horn, but that ivory looks way better.

Really good lookin razor.

Credit to our friend Sharptonn!

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Really good lookin razor.

OK -- I've never tried this before, but the Elliott I'm using feels so perfect in the and, I wanted to check where its balance point was. So, I opened it straight and laid it on its side across a round rifle cartridge (smallest perfect cylinder I could find) and found that it balanced right behind the heel. I couldn't get a picture because I didn't dare let it sit there and perhaps slip off, but it balanced perfectly level. So the scales, wedge and tang are an exact equal weight to the blade from heel to the toe. I'm not sure if that is common or not, but the thought had never occurred to me before. Interesting!

Sounds like it is a tad blade-heavy. I always prefer that, but some are opposite. I have balanced razors on a SE blade, but one thing I have discovered is a loose pivot kills balance. Make sense?
I have scale-heavy and blade-heavy razors, but as long as the pivot is tight, it is easy to adjust the scales for the right feel.
IF they will stay there, of course. Scales bouncing around does not lend it'self to anything at all.

Sadly, so many scales are broken while attempts to tighten them has got to be happening regularly.
I find lots need repinning to accomplish safely.
JMO