Thread: Mastro Livi Razor Club

I have enough problems with a 7/8

Originally Posted by jkatzman

Perhaps you can explain the hand stropping. I noticed in his barber video the barber doing it and in this club a number of people have mentioned it. Is it to get the oil from your palm? Your hand is unever so I don't see how that could help the edge.

I guess the club is not the right place to talk about hand palm stropping, however you just use your hand and, although it may seem uneven, it works for sure. Or, I would say, it works very well to me and I can tell when a razor is not hand stropped.

Yesterday has been a special day. You probably remember about the shaving set I want Mastro Livi to make for me and the very first piece of this set has been the "Pennello Italiano" (Italian Brush). Yesterday was the time to make the second element of this set and this element was the well known Mastro Livi loom strop. I am not going to talk about the high quality of this tool as everyone knows about its performance and efficiency. The loom strop, of course, has the very same handle structure of the "Italian Brush" and, as a matter of fact, this is the "Coramella Italiana" (Italian Strop). It is a medium size Mastro Livi Loom Strop, a size I have chosen because I already own both the small and travel size.
The handle is quite different in shape from the brush and this is mainly because you hold the two of them differently. The handle has, of course, the usual "Italian Flag", made of Jade (green), White Turquoise (white) and Coral (Red) and it is made of Amboyna Burl, Pau Violeto, Juniper, Makassar Ebony and Olive Burl.
I of course took pictures of its making and in the next days, like I did for the "Italian Brush", I will publish them and I hope you will appreciate watching Mastro Livi making his world famous Loom Strop.
Ladies and gentlemen, here it is my Mastro Livi Loom Strop "Coramella Italiana"!

Mastro Livi Loom Strop "Coramella Italiana".

Each Mastro Livi Loom Strop comes in its wooden box and a stick of his well known chromium oxide paste.




Mastro Livi in his laboratory holding my "Coramella Italiana"

Antonello. Stunning work as always. I'm looking forward to your choice of razor to complete this wonderful set.

Originally Posted by jodypress

Antonello. Stunning work as always. I'm looking forward to your choice of razor to complete this wonderful set.

I too am looking forward to see the razor finished. To tell the truth, I am still thinking about it and how I would like it to be. I guess it is going to be next month, maybe.

1955 - 2015. Sixty years. It was 1955 when Mastro Livi honed his very first straight razor. Since then, Mastro Livi worked on straight razor maintenance, honing and making both for professional barbers and private users. This year - 2015 - Mastro Livi is therefore celebrating sixty years of experience and career in artisan straight razor making, honing and maintenance. I asked him many times how many straight razors he made in the course of this long time, but he could never give a reliable answer. One thousand, two thousand or even more, he does not exactly remember.
Mastro Livi released Grifetto about one year ago and to start celebrating his sixty years of daily work in straight razors, he decided to make a special edition of Grifetto and called it "Grifetto 60" which he recently released to the market. It is a beautiful straight razor having the very same stainless steel blade used for Grifetto but with different scales. Grifetto has olive wood scales - a typical wood in Italy - whereas Grifetto 60's scales are made of camel bone with a middle olive wood insert in which are inlaid three small dots recalling the Italian flag and in which is written "Grifetto 60".
To the left of the plate you can see Mastro Livi hand signature and to the right you can read "60 Anni" (60 Years in Italian) and, below, 1955 - 2015.
The back of the tang too reads "Grifetto 60", of course hand written by Mastro Livi including his signature on the front side of the tang.
The quality is, as usual, the well known Grifetto performance and the fancy scales add an exclusive touch to this razor. Scales are hand made by Mastro Livi, whereas the blade is made from a stainless steel blank and then personally ground by Mastro Livi himself. As a matter of fact, Grifetto blanks are made by Mastro Livi in his laboratory and are used for the production of Grifetto and Grifetto 60 only. Custom straight razors are still - and have always been - hand made by Mastro Livi, from the raw bar to stropping.

Mastro Livi Grifetto 60 is now part of my collection and it officially is the twentieth Mastro Livi straight razor I own.

Mastro Livi Grifetto 60

• Blade: 6/8 Full Hollow, Round Point
• Steel: Stainless Steel
• Scales: Camel Bone with a middle olive wood insert in which are found three dots recalling the Italian flag: Jade (Green), White Turquoise (White), Coral (Red).

Grifetto 60 in Mastro Livi's hands




Mastro Livi in front of his private barbershop holding Grifetto 60

That is beautiful Antonello!!!!!

You know it's my birthday on Monday Antonello. ...hint hint

Originally Posted by jodypress

You know it's my birthday on Monday Antonello. ...hint hint

Yes and I guess in your special day you will use your stunning, beautiful and very special Mastro Livi shaving set!
Happy birthday, my friend and enjoy a luxurious Mastro Livi shave!
I hope to see you and your father again sometime soon!

Here are photos listed on eBay of the Mastro Livi 6/8 round point, RWL 3 steel and steady poplar scales I purchased. Can't wait to take it out for a shave. Was told this is a rare razor. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile.