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

Yesterday I went to Mastro Livi laboratory because he needed my help in assisting him with a gentleman from Australia. I had the pleasure of meeting this genuine gentleman and his lovely family, we talked a lot about straight razors and, of course, we ended up having a "small Italian lunch" all together in Torgiano, the well known wine town of Umbria, not so far from Mastro Livi laboratory. I hope I did a good job as a translator as well as giving them a very quick taste of my beloved region, food and wine.

This gentleman from Australia has got a beautiful and gorgeous razor, one of those CarboInox Mastro Livi is recently making - simply breathtaking - as well as a Grifetto for his father-in-law. Mastro Livi also taught him how to hone and maintain a razor's edge, therefore giving a private lesson to him from honing to stropping, including hand palm stropping.

We all had a very nice and lovely time: I certainly wish to meet this gentleman and his family again, hopefully at Mastro Livi laboratory, as this client said he wish he could watch Mastro Livi making a razor. Unfortunately, they were in a hurry and they could not spend much time there, but I am sure we will meet again some day. I just know this gentleman will enjoy his new superb Mastro Livi CarboInox straight razor very much. It is absolutely gorgeous and stellar to see, just another Mastro Livi masterpiece.

As I was there, I could not resist in buying a new razor and a new knife. Mastro Livi had a couple of CarboInox kamisori available for sale and it has been love at first sight: I bought one and I am very happy I did that. It is the very fist CarboInox kamisori Mastro Livi made with this new steel he recently created and it looks magnificent.

I am sure you know CarboInox is a steel created by Mastro Livi by combining stainless steel to his carbon damascus steel and by using the san mai technique. In this case the middle layer is made of Mastro Livi carbon damascus steel whereas the outer layers are made of stainless steel. The combination can also be reversed, of course, by having carbon damascus in the outer layers and stainless steel in the middle.

I also bought a Mastro Livi carbon damascus table knife, also in this case made with the CarboInox technique, as the handle is made of stainless steel. The knife has a breathtaking blue color and I guess my pictures don't do justice to its beauty. Not to mention, the knife and kamisori are super sharp. I am going to shave with this kamisori later today and I will use my new knife for lunch! Enjoy the pictures!

Mastro Livi CarboInox Kamisori
(Stainless steel and Mastro Livi carbon damascus steel San Mai)

• Steel: Mastro Livi CarboInox (middle layer: Mastro Livi carbon damascus; outer layers: stainless steel)
• Blade: 7/8

Ura



Handle



Omote

This is my new beautiful table knife made of Mastro Livi carbon damascus steel, especially conceived for steaks.

Isn't it beautiful? Not to mention, it is super sharp and cuts a steak like butter.



The Blade

It is always a great joy to shave with a masterpiece, it adds beauty to a beautiful act like traditional shaving. This Mastro Livi CarboInox kamisori is also a great shaver, giving a deep and close shave, just like any Mastro Livi straight razor. This is the very first CarboInox kamisori ever made by Mastro Livi and I love the stunning combination of shiny stainless steel and the elegant touch of the carbon damascus in the middle. CarboInox is in fact made with the San Mai technique and it is made of three layers of steels, in which Mastro Livi has been successful in combining carbon steel to stainless steel. Amazing shave!

Traveling with a Mastro Livi razor is always a joy, not to mention with a beautiful and gorgeous kamisori like this one. I absolutely love the idea of CarboInox in this kamisori: compared to a classic kamisori - usually made of carbon steel and having a opaque finish - the look of stainless steel with its shiny mirror finish is absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention the elegant touch of Mastro Livi damascus steel in the edge: a breathtaking masterpiece. I love it! As for the shave, the blade is simply impeccable, giving a deep and close shave and the refreshing and spicy touch of my Bay Rum is simply great.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mastro Livi Grifetto! The stainless steel used for making this lovely Grifetto is just amazing! Smooth and velvety, with the right amount of aggressiveness, it is a superb shaver. Not to mention the touch of olive wood scales, a typical Italian wood - as well as Umbrian, of course - a magnificent tree not only providing the very best oil, but also a beautiful wood. This shave was also the occasion to test the Denim White Aftershave I bought yesterday, not the very best around, however worth the price I paid for it, and the smell is pleasing and fresh.

Barbecue and Italian wine time! This Sunday lunch was just another occasion to enjoy this stunning beautiful Mastro Livi Carbon Damascus knife, a very sharp knife, impeccably made and honed by Mastro Livi. By the way: in case you are wondering, the wine was a superb Sagrantino di Montefalco, Umbrian pride, magnificent wine, simply a perfect companion for barbecue. This Mastro Livi knife is a joy to see and use: beautiful art and perfect craftsmanship; the blue color of the blade and its pattern add elegance to a very classy knife, a genuine "made in Italy" product from one of the greatest Italian artisans.

Yet another fantastic shave with this Mastro Livi CarboInox kamisori. This one has a pretty long handle and this seems to be more comfortable for my not so little hands. Deep and close like a kamisori should be, it gives the well known velvety touch of Mastro Livi Carbon Damascus steel combined to the shiny beauty of mirror polished stainless steel. The finishing touch was Pinaud Clubman, a burning flame on your face yet refreshing and enjoyable.

razorguy,

Thanks for the post. I don't even own a straight razor yet, and I know who he is. I watched him make one of his masterpieces on a online video and was just absolutely amazed at the process. I can understand why he is much admired and his razors are well sought out for.

Kind regards,
V

Thank you vhe,
I am very glad my thread has been useful to you and to better know this remarkable Italian artisan and artist. I read you don't own a straight razor yet and, in this regard, if you want to start the "straight razor" adventure the best way possible, I would certainly suggest you to take a look at the "Mastro Livi Grifetto", incredible razor for its price range, while however being a handmade razor by one of the best straight razor makers, despite the blade is made from a blank.
I sincerely wish you to come to Italy and to personally watch the making of your straight razor: I am sure this will be an incredible experience!

It was quite a long time I wanted to add the well known and celebrated Mastro Livi Snake Razor to my collection. As I consider this to be a very important razor every Mastro Livi collector should not miss - not to mention, every passionate wet shaver - I wanted this event to be very special. First of all, I wanted to watch the making of my Snake Razor from start to finish, secondly I wanted to make this special event very special and wished to keep a good memory of it and, why not, to share with you all.

The first one was pretty easy for me: you all know I live not so distant from Mastro Livi laboratory, so all I needed to do was trying to find the time to do that. The second one could have been done by filming a video about the making of the Snake Razor and this is what I did.

At the end of the day I therefore came home with the most beautiful straight razor on earth as well as with my video camera happily full of dear memories about an unforgettable day.

The full day spent at Mastro Livi laboratory was also a good chance to ask him about illustrating his new damascus steels - from carbon steel damascus to martensitic stainless steel damascus (that is, a stainless steel damascus which can be tempered) and, of course, the newest CarboInox - as well as for asking him to tell the story of his masterpiece razor, the one created by his art and talent: the Snake Razor. Everything has been filmed and I hope to publish the video soon.

Before summarizing the story of Mastro Livi Snake Razor, I would like to tell something about mine. I wanted it to be made of the latest damascus steel created by Mastro Livi and therefore I chose the very good CarboInox. It is very dear to me, as I was the one who suggested Mastro Livi the "CarboInox" name, not to mention for its superb performance in shaving. I however asked him to make a very special CarboInox for me, one which looked opposite of the one he made so far, in which he combines stainless steel in the external layers and carbon damascus steel in the middle layer.

I wanted mine to be the exact opposite: Mastro Livi twisted carbon damascus steel to be used for the external layers, stainless steel for the inner layer. I also asked him to create something special in the stainless steel part, and he suggested creating small "carbon steel dots", an idea I liked very much. The result is simply amazing: these carbon steel dots, in their beautiful blue color, give a sort of idea about dripping paint, a quite artistic and special effect. These dots are also found in the edge of the razor and this is not a problem at all. As both stainless steel and carbon steel can be tempered, they are both suited for making a super sharp and cutting edge.

As for the scale, I admit the choice was very hard. Not only I had a hard time in choosing among the tens of woods, mother of pearls and horns Mastro Livi uses for making scales, I also wanted they could recall the colors of a snake. When Mastro Livi showed me this fascinating emerald/yellow buckeye burl, I knew it was the right one for my Snake Razor.

In order to make scales even fancier, Mastro Livi suggested adding stone inlays to them. A great idea that certainly adds an artistic touch to the beauty of the razor. The inlay at the point of the scales are made from "Onyx Gold" stone (a combination of black onyx and real gold), whereas the inlay at the middle is made from white turquoise. I love this razor and this certainly is one of the most beautiful Mastro Livi razor I have ever seen, not to mention for the fact it is a Snake Razor, something I have always wanted to add to my collection.

The story of the Snake Razor is quite special. Seven years ago, a Scottish gentleman - having a strong passion for snakes as well as being a researcher about these kind animals - asked Mastro Livi if he could make a razor for him and having a snake shape.

Mastro Livi and his son Luca worked together and came up with this fancy shape which certainly recalls a snake, from head to tail. Scales too have been shaped in order to recall a snake: the razor pin - which is actually a screw - is the eye.

Since then, Mastro Livi made many Snake Razors and sold them all over the world and, in my opinion, it is one of the fanciest and special straight razors ever made, not just for the beauty of the shapes and its story, but also for the fact it is a superb work of craftsmanship made by one of the very best and talented artisans.

Mastro Livi was also so kind to make a beautiful key chain and made by using the very same billet he used for my snake razor. He said this is something he started doing recently for everyone buying an artisan straight razor made from CarboInox or Mastro Livi damascus steel (both carbon and stainless). I now have a beautiful Snake Razor as well as a key chain made from the very same billet. I love my Mastro Livi Snake Razor and key chain!

Opening the box of my Mastro Livi Snake Razor



Mastro Livi CarboInox Snake, 8/8 Full Hollow, Snake Point

• Steel: CarboInox (External layers: Mastro Livi Twisted Damascus Steel, Middle layer: Stainless Steel with Carbon Damascus inlays) Gradient blue to gold obtained by a thermal processing
• Blade: 8/8 Full Hollow, Snake Point
• Scales: BuckEye Burl with Onyx Gold and White Turquoise Inlays

My Mastro Livi Snake Razor: the "dripping paint" effect of the blade. Carbon Damascus dots inlays on Stainless Steel



Mastro Livi signature and CarboInox Logo



File work. Also notice the San Mai structure of the blade: stainless steel in the middle, carbon damascus at the sides



Mastro Livi CarboInox Key Chain made from the same billet used for my Snake Razor.
A gift Mastro Livi makes to all of his clients ordering a custom straight razor made of Mastro Livi Damascus Steel or CarboInox

An incredible masterpiece for my friend Antonello! Good, very good!