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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 21, 2021
I have a relatively small straight razor collection compared to some of my friends which consists primarily of vintage straights. Until yesterday I owned one modern artisan straight, a Rigarazor 15/16. As a long time custom knife collector I’ve been a fan of pattern-welded Damascus and Wootz steel blades, and when I started hanging out on some of the FB straight razor sites I began to notice the work of Victor Creazzi. What particularly caught my eye was the manner in which he built his “Fancy” razors with a monosteel edge welded to the Damascus billets he builds from scratch. My son, who has his own forge, and hopes to become a full-time bladesmith when he retires in 15 years, tells me that building a razor in the manner of Mr. Creazzi’s self developed SanMai method is not a trivial undertaking and reflects true razorsmithing mastery! I concur! Being retired since 2012 and on a fixed income I have lusted after one of Victor’s blades, a razor he named “Bone Mosaic”.
As the months passed, I began to accumulate the funds for my down payment, all the time hoping it wouldn’t sell. Since retiring I have joined the faculty of a small business college in Philly. After agreeing to teach a recent senior seminar, I knew I would be able finally acquire my dream razor which was still available. I contacted Victor, explained my situation, and he graciously agreed to accept payment in two parts. The razor arrived a few days early from Colorado yesterday. I will admit, I’ve handled quite a few pattern-welded Damascus knife blades over the years, but never a razor crafted so exquisitely! The attention to detail and the absolute perfection of the edge which I examined under a USB microscope blew me away! But the shave was in a class by itself. Victor’s razors apparently have a reputation for singing, and it’s well-deserved. “Bone Mosaic” belted out the ‘Buttering Toast’ refrain through each of the three passes leaving me with the kind of mug shave I’ll keep touching throughout the day.
As it turned out, the entire shave turned out to be epic, as
@Keithmax of TSD is wont to say when referencing a memorable shave. My new MrEE (
@MrEE) blue aluminum handled brush fitted with a SynBad knot performed brilliantly with my regular MWF. It’s my third brush from Evan all of which are great performers. The dome shave featured my Barbasol Floating Head safety razor which dates to the third decade of the 20th century. These 90 some odd year old safety razors have developed a reputation for extreme shaving efficiency; one that’s well deserved and should be respected. When I first acquired the razor a few years ago I learned early on that if my attention wandered, she’d bite like a jealous woman! Having been properly schooled by Madame Barbasol, I paid her the attention she desires, and was rewarded me with a two pass ATG porcelain smooth result that was in keeping with the fantastic mug shave that preceded it. I feel refreshed, clean, and oh-so-smooth!
RAZOR: Bone Mosaic 7/8 (Mug), Barbasol Floating Head (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Blue Anodized Aluminum LE #5 fitted with a SynBad Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Osage Rub and Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.
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