Thread: My Mastro Livi razor, at last: a wonderful life experience!

There are things in life you know you need to do sometimes. Sooner or later, you just know you have to do that. It is just a matter of time. You all gentlemen know about my passion for wet shaving and straight razors - just like you all, of course - and you also know I was born in Perugia, Italy, the city where I spent most of my life, despite my job allowed me to live in so many different cities in the world. Perugia is my homeland, not just a city: here it is where I set my roots, the place I really feel like home. In Perugia also lives one of the most revered and talented artists of the world for the production of knives and straight razors. I am sure you know whom I am talking about, a man, an artist everyone into wet shaving and straight razors knows about: Mastro Lido Livi.
The history of the Mastro - who certainly is a real proud for Perugia and the prestige of our noble city - is known to everyone being into straight razors. Mastro is an Italian word and it is the contracted form of "Maestro", that is "Master", a honorary title reserved only to the most skilled, talented and very best representative artisans of any specific art. Moreover, a "mastro" is also an artisan having the gift of teaching others his art, therefore passing his knowledge, style and talent to someone being patient and lucky enough for learning from a real Master. Mastro Livi is all that and more.
I was born in Perugia and since I was a kid the name of "Mastro Livi" already was popular in my city. Everyone recognized to him - and still do - the highest talent and quality in making and honing knives and scissors. No one in this city excelled in this art as much as he does. What I did not know at that time was that Mastro Livi also was a talented straight razor maker, not even suspecting he simply was the very best one in this noble art. After all, a kid does not care about shaving not to mention straight razors.
My passion for straight razor is known to most of you gentlemen in this forum - a passion we all share with the very same love and commitment - and it is now many years I am into this art. I do collect straight razors and I love to restore them, not to mention, I love to use them all. I am not a mastro, of course, but I put a lot of passion in this. I realized, about ten years ago, the very best artist in straight razor production lived in my city, and, you guess that, I was so surprised to know that. Right in my city I had the chance to see the very best of what I consider one of my most important passions and interests. Since then, I have always promised myself I should go to the Mastro's "bottega" and enjoy living such a wonderful experience. "Bottega" is just another Italian word, and it may be roughly translated as "shop", but its true meaning is more than that. "Bottega" is a term dating back to Renaissance times - although the word has ancient Greek origins - and it is the place where a "mastro" does its job and art and where he teaches his students and disciples. The term, although today in Italy is usually referred to a "common shop", it is a word I like because of its ancient and noble meaning: a place where a Mastro's art takes its origin and expression.
It is a matter of time, I said. And yes, I knew, sooner or later, I would have gone and visit the Mastro's Bottega. I have more than one hundred razors in my collection and no one of them is a Mastro Livi's razor. You may think it is a real shame I live in Perugia and never visited the Mastro's bottega: I know and, of course, you are right. The reason is that I was a little afraid, not of the Mastro himself, but of myself: I have always been aware the day I entered the Mastro's bottega I would have bought at least one razor. Maybe more, maybe.
It is a matter of time. Last Wednesday, after pondering this quite a lot, I felt I could wait no more and drove to the Mastro's bottega. Of course, I am very glad I did that and I certainly regret I did not do that before. Before going, I wanted to make sure they were opened and called the "bottega": the Mastro himself answered the phone and I told him I was a straight razor lover and collector and I wanted to buy one of his razors. He has been very kind and told me he was certainly waiting for me because we needed to understand (yes, he said that) what kind of razor was suited for me, my beard, my shaving style and needs. Every straight razor is different from any other razor, something we all know about.
Ten minutes later, I was in the Mastro's bottega (My home is less than ten kilometers away from there) and, with my total wonder, amazement and joy, I felt in that very moment I was in a truly special place. The Mastro was there, with his wife and granddaughter, and welcomed me with a kind and gentle smile. There, I also met the Mastro's son, Luca, who is as kind and welcoming as his father, not to mention, a Mastro himself in making knives. I could not believe I was in front of the Mastro and talking with him about straight razors.
Mastro Livi is a genuine gentleman, very kind, helpful, willing and patient: I soon realized he did not simply want to sell me a razor, what he was doing - I guess - was figuring out what kind of person I am and what kind of interest I had for razors, his razors. He started by showing me the bottega's shelves, full of straight razors - oh men, what a paradise! - many shapes, styles, different scales, grinding, steels, points, sizes. I was like a kid in a toy store, deeply undecided about what to choose, while continuously watching all of those wonders.
Soon after, the Mastro started talking about straight razors, how they are made and how he makes them, about honing, stropping and shaving. I have always believed I knew something about straight razors: well, it took less than half an hour to make me realize, by listening to the Mastro, I just knew a very little about this subject.
The Mastro has the gift of explaining things with a humble simplicity, with simple words but, I would say, deeply technical that however anyone could easily understand. What impressed me about the Mastro was not only the "Mastro" and his indisputable skill, talent and fame, indeed, the kind of man he is. Humble, patient, always with a warm smile, he wants to make sure you understand his words, heart and feelings. He was very patient with me and showed me everything he could in order to give me an idea of the type I razor I wanted. After all, it would have been easier for him to sell me one of the tens of razors he had in the shelves, I would have paid it and in a minute I would have been a happy owner of a Mastro Livi razor. This is not the case. He wanted to understand me and my interest in razors: this is something I appreciated immensely.
I spent about three hours in his company, talking about straight razors and about his razors: at the end, while I supposed I could finally order a razor with specific qualities, he invited me to come back Saturday morning, to take my time and think about the razor I wanted.
Of course, Saturday morning I went there again and when I arrived the Mastro was working on two gorgeous Damascus steel razor blades, almost ready for two lucky and fortunate clients. Just like Wednesday, the Mastro has been very kind and helpful, in a minute - once again - we were talking about straight razors and shaving: he taught me so many things about stropping and honing and, once again, I realized the little I knew about straight razor was just nothing. The Mastro really is an endless source of knowledge about shaving and straight razors, even more, a remarkable man, sensitive, intelligent and bright. A real Master, indeed.
I had just one thing I was sure I wanted for my razor: scales. I wanted my scales to be of olive tree wood because this is the most common tree of Umbria - my beloved region - and from which, of course, we make olive oil. Scales have been the first thing we discussed about: he showed me many types of wood - all of them being gorgeous and wonderful - and this had the effect of demolishing my initial choice. After pondering everything, I decided the scales of my Mastro Livi's razors are to be made of buckeye burl wood, and I opted for beautiful "cobalt-indigo" shades. I know, I should have chosen olive tree, I know. The Mastro reassured me - of course he realized I was having a truly hard time in making a decision - that "after all, this is just the first razor", and I guess he was right.
The blade was much easier to choose: I opted for a Damascus stainless steel also thanks to the Mastro's advises based on the use I am going to do with the razor. Because, yes, I want a razor to be added to my collection but, most important and first of all, I want a razor for shaving. As for the size, I had no doubt: 7/8 is my favorite size and it is the one I want for my razor. The Mastro said this actually is the size his clients like the most. Well, it seems I am a perfect candidate for becoming one of his clients!
Two more choices and the order is done: point and tang. As for the point, I opted for a Mastro Livi point, a style the Mastro invented and used in many of his razors: I simply think it is just beautiful and, moreover, this will also be the mark of the Mastro's art. As for the tang, the Mastro allowed me to try tens of his razors in order to understand how the razor's weight and shape would fit into my hand. This probably was the most amazing part of the "Mastro Livi experience". I could hold and feel so many razors and I realized how they felt in my hand and how I was comfortable with any particular shape/weight combination. That was a huge help: at the end I chose the shape/weight tang I felt to be more comfortable for my hand size and grip. Simply amazing!!!
Now, I just have to wait for the Mastro to make my razor. Of course, I cannot wait to shave with it but I also recommended the Mastro - something he certainly knows already - I am not into a hurry and he should take all the time it takes. All I want is a Mastro Livi razor in all of its ravishing and beautiful glory. I don't care about time, I can wait for a real masterpiece. And I am sure Mastro Livi knows about this.
Well gentleman, now it is clear why I wrote such a long post: I want to share with you all my personal experience of the making of MY Mastro Livi razor. And I will certainly keep posting more articles about this as well as glorious pictures of the razor, when it will be ready and impeccable made. I would also love to post pictures about the making of the razor, but unfortunately, because of my job, I don't have much time in this period in order to do that. And, believe me, it is a pity for me, too.
Moreover, the visit to Mastro's bottega gave me the gift of having met a wonderful and remarkable man, not just a magnificent Mastro, but a man of incomparable quality and talent, both in his art and job as well as a Master of life.
Thank you Mastro Lido Livi for the wonderful gift you gave me, for the beautiful and wonderful time talking with you about razors, for welcoming me in your "bottega", for showing me your art and all the rest. This is something I will certainly treasure in my heart forever. I hope this is just the beginning, certainly looking forward in learning much more from you, Maestro!