Yeah I know... I skipped July. Well, not much happened here at CCR. I did receive 100 P81 blades from Ningbo, no scales or stamps or etching or factory "sharpening". I am also sourcing horn and camel bone scales. I have a sample from one shop arriving tomorrow. I think with the inexpensive blanks already mostly done, and the prefab horn or bone scales from overseas and my own final grinding, fitting, polishing and honing, I can put out a pretty nice razor for a very competitive price. I don't care if I only sell one or two a day. That's all I have time to make, anyway. I will probably do one model with no significant modifications to the blade, and another one that looks more like my old GD66 mods. Sort of like this one:
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The more refined model will of course cost a good bit more.

The website has been all but useless for sales. Fleabay has been good to me. I have found that raising and lowering my prices by a buck or two works really well for regulating order flow so I am not swamped. I don't need to be the most expensive purveyor of Chinese razors. But I do need manageable order flow. I don't want this to be like a job. I have my union pension and next year I will have social security and the wife is making crazy money even though the bonuses have pretty much been put on hold this year... still there are stock gimmees and options. I know if I poured heart and soul, sweat and blood into this thing I could make a living from it but I already have a living so I would rather keep it just above the level where it is a hobby that pays for itself.

So the product line as I write this is Gold Dollar 66, 208, and P81, and Gold Monkey 666. I am running out of P81 and I am negotiating for another 100 now. I won't be ordering any other models, I am thinking. The P81 is the easiest to hone and the acrylic scales are very plain and two dimensional, but for all that they are pretty tough and they don't look TOO bad. The price I pay still allows me to hone and sell them for not too much, so I am still living up to my original mission of getting inexpensive but shave ready razors into newbie hands. Meanwhile the ones I assemble and finish myself will cater to a more midstream market and serve as an upgrade to those who like my stock Gold Dollars.

I still have not cut up the horse shell cordoban. I will do that this coming week but first I want to tune up the Sail-Rite for sewing leather, and do a couple of sewn cowhide strops. I want to sew the bolster pieces on the horse shell and put a heavy duty D ring on each end. That's the way I like my strops. My customers deserve what I think is the best configuration. With a D ring on each end there is no top or bottom... hang it whichever way. If you slice up the edge of the strop, then you hang it the other way. Easy sneezy. Sewn instead of attached with Chicago screws (I personally hate those single point clamshell ends) makes the whole thing worry free and will probably reduce my labor. On the negative side the Chicago screws do allow adjusting out any cupping by enlarging the two side holes and leaving the center hole alone to carry more of the tension. I will simply sew it so that the center is under just slightly more tension than the edges. The traditional clamshell lets the side edges have a little slack and my sewing will do the same, just less so.

I haven't been making any cowhide strops the last few weeks, but neither have I sold any. I have not listed them on fleabay though. I should go ahead and put a dozen or so together and put up a listing I just haven't had time. I have had plenty of leather treated and hanging for a couple of months and I got the hardware. I just have to budget the time. My day trading activities and the boats and the honey do list has left me only 3-4 hours of sleep in a day. It is a wonder I get my Gold Dollars honed and shipped without falling behind.

Thanks to all on this forum who have bought from me and promoted my wares. Good Luck to All, and Happy Shaves.