Thread: Pilgrimage to Perugia (the write-up)

Fantastic post... thanks for taking the time to add all the photos.

Greg Frazer

Bravo Mark! Great posts!

As to the razor, words escape me. I'll borrow some from the Lynx marketing division:

BOM CHICKA BOW BOWWWW!!

James.

Great Post! It's always great to see master craftsmen and their work. Happy shaving!


Greg

Majurey,

You are inspiring me to become curious about Italy ... and thank you very much for that wonderful write-up.

I am curious about that steel sleeve on your Damascus razor. I know that it is a slip-over design, but is the steel of the sleeve flexible enough to allow it to be withdrawn from the razor, or is it so tight that it becomes, in essence, a fixed element? I am inquiring because, naturally, one wonders if the area under and around the slip-on sleeve would invite rust.

- Ignatz

It's not my razor, so I'm only guessing, but looking at the pictures and from the description, I'd think the steel sleeve would be put on just when honing (and perhaps stropping?), and left off otherwise.

Originally Posted by scarface

If it was me, I'd tape the steel cuff!

Yeah, I thought of that after I posted.

Originally Posted by Steelforge

The sleeve that fits over the spine, does it have anything inside it to prevent it for scratching the surface of the razor when you slip it on and off? And can you strop the razor without it fitted? It's a simple yet ingenious solution.

Yes, the thought struck me too. But after taking it on and off a dozen times (and it is a tight fit which will not move around when honing), there seems to be no damage. I'm assuming either the cuff steel is softer than the blade or that it takes a lot more activity than that to make a scratch. Remember, this is not a polished blade so maybe that means scratches show up less? (In the pictures I took outside where the blade appear almost black is a result of my crap photo skills: I used a polarising filter on the camera to better show up the Damascus patterning in sunlight. It worked but it also made the dark striations look black! )

And yes, you can strop the razor without the cuff. The cuff is only for honing. The Mastro suggested a little more slack in the strop than I would normally use though.

Originally Posted by Steelforge

Oh god, so I have a reputation there do I? That's a bit worrying. I hope you didn't tell him I ended up selling all of the razors hes made for me so far, for one reason or another. . The funny thing is my girlfriend and her daughter pronounce my name Ivo or Ivan too, as they're from Slovakia and it's easier to say than Iwan, which is pronounced You-anne - same as Ewan McGregor.

I'm quite tempted to order another one having read your write up, but I think I'll have to wait for a special occasion like you did. My girlfriend would skin me alive I think.

Yep, I got the feeling you were a prized customer! And yes, I had guessed how you pronounce your name, though it's the first time I've seen it spelled with an I. Funny that your girlfriend also calls you Ivan. Maybe you should change it by Deed Poll?

Don't worry, I didn't mention anything about re-selling your blades. But I'm sure the Mastro would be pleased that his blades are being recirculated regularly. It's good marketing, right?

Of course, there's one type of special occasion you could enter into with your girlfriend which would definitely qualify for a custom Livi blade.

Originally Posted by ignatz

Majurey,

You are inspiring me to become curious about Italy ... and thank you very much for that wonderful write-up.

I am curious about that steel sleeve on your Damascus razor. I know that it is a slip-over design, but is the steel of the sleeve flexible enough to allow it to be withdrawn from the razor, or is it so tight that it becomes, in essence, a fixed element? I am inquiring because, naturally, one wonders if the area under and around the slip-on sleeve would invite rust.

- Ignatz

Heh heh. Well, you're not so far from Italy yourself. And Perugia's a great place to visit, so...

The cuff only goes on for honing on stones. It's not required for shaving, stropping (whether hanging, paddle or loom with or without paste) or storage. The tight is very fit and it take a little force to get it on and off, which means zero movement during honing.

I'm not worried about rust because, as mentioned, it comes off for storage so I can dry it as normal. I have put a single layer of rice in the box it stays in to absorb as much moisture as possible. This is one blade that won't have Maas anywhere near it, so I have to make sure it remains rust-free by preventative means.

You'll be doing a lot of reminiscing while shaving in the foreseeable future I bet.

Simply Beautiful. My perfect razor would look different of course, but this is indeed a work of art. Maybe I can propose something like this to my wife.

I think you are right that Iwan really needs to go 'all out' if he want to get permission to buy something like that.
And with his reputation on high-end blades, he must be itching to get one

Thanks for sharing all this with us, Mastro Livi would love to be able to read it...