My Mastro Livi razor, at last: a wonderful life experience!
Part One: Daring to be Different
After Antonello had raised with this thread my curiosity about Mastro Livi razors, I finally ordered two Grifetto (Grifetti??) razors and a medium size loom strop to own some of Mastro Livi's acclaimed creations at last.
I have been shaving with straight razors for a few years and - as straight razor shavers are few and far between - started learning through the Internet, like most of us. Certain practices and rules appeared to be invariable and carved in stone, and I judiciously followed them on my quest for the ultimate straight shave.
Over the years my straight shaves developed to a level that I cannot easily replicate with any other (e.g. safety) razor, but I also did note a few conventions that - while often repeated and apparently never questioned - seemed somehow out of place to me.
Enter the Mastro Livi/Antonello "Scuola di Mastro Livi" collaboration.
Here is a man that has been making razors and establishing a solid reputation in the field far longer than most of us have been shaving, who is more than willing to share his expertise with us, who is not afraid to go - if necessary -against some of the established conventions, and is happy to explain the techniques that he has developed and come to trust over time.
Some of these may sound unusual at first, and I am not suggesting that everyone should dump everything he has learned before and adopt the "Mastro Livi method" overnight, but I found that what Mastro Livi says and teaches echoed some of the lingering doubts in my mind (do 100 passes on a strop, faithfully counted, really result in a better edge??) and that - no matter how proficient a shaver believes he is - it may be worth to listen to someone who has been in the field a long time and give some consideration to his ideas - in other words, do nothing more than keep an open mind.
As I had a week of leave and had already planned a trip to Italy's Adriatic coast, where I spent many summers of my childhood, I thought I combine this with a trip to Perugia to visit Mastro Livi's laboratorio.
To an English speaker "Laboratorio" might sound excessive at first, but it is after all an accepted Italian term for an artisan's workshop and given Mastro Livi's inclination to experiment, and try or create new things, even the English meaning is not too far of the mark.
But more about that visit in part two....
B.
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Mastro Livi School 9: How to Use a Loom Strop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9MJ_IMUGHk
Mastro Livi School: A practical course on using and maintaining your straight razor. From understanding a straight razor to honing and shaving.
Part Nine: How to Use Mastro Livi Loom Strop with a Straight Razor or Kamisori. How to properly use Mastro Livi loom strop in order to correctly strop a straight razor or a kamisori. Common mistakes to avoid while stropping and how to ensure the best edge for your straight razor or kamisori for a very long time while getting the most comfortable shave.