That Pabst girl is the cat's pajamas. I like the Floid blue and the Kanayama strop. Very neat and tidy setup.
Thank You Sir! In spite of the fact that I no longer imbibe, she has a piquant Reubenesqueness that I find swanky and appealing, kind of like a Harvey Girl with a helluva plastic surgeon. The picture was a full page ad in an Iowa State University student news paper about the time Dad was stealing the clock lol. He framed her up and she too hung in his shop. When making my egress with clock under one arm (it is actually very light) I made a flying grab at Pabst Girl with my free arm I still haven't told him about Pabst Girl. Maybe when his vitals are a bit more stable... I LOVE Floid Blue, and hope it continues to be available for us. I have what I'd consider "bare minimum lifetime supply" currently, but it the bottom dropped out and it was no longer available, I'd be more comfortable with a couple more liters. And the Kanayama! Bliss! I don't think I could decide if I had to chose between the K90K or my Neil Miller. I think my head would just explode from thinkeffort... If a straight shaver doesn't have one now, they should act before it's too late. Kanoyama-San's days of making strops on this mortal coil I think are limited. A No. 3 with both leather strops, a canvas strop, and hardware can be had shipped for under $150. A lot of money for a strop, but once they're gone, they're gone, and you can bet the second hand market will reflect this. Buy once, cry once. And aside from this fact, here's the important point: they are worth every penny. One of the finest Cordovan strops in the world along with Mr. Neil Millers fine strops.
When I shave with one of the oldys like yours I often wonder about the history of the razor. Who owned it and shaved with it etc and in what part of the world and how many years ago
Yes he certainly does! Anyone who has skimmed through this thread has found this out almost on a daily basis!
I think about these facts at times, and then begin to wonder if I've done enough to ensure it has been adequately sterilized?
The leather on my Kanayama 3 Fine Stars, I bought from Takeshi at aframestoyko is unlike any other strop I have. It has this cushiony super smooth softness about it. Must be a different leather treatment to get that effect.
I don't think you need to worry about sterilization. If the soap scum is washed off or dried up, it's not going to grow any germs.
I used an ole plain jane today. It is marked Sheffield steel Solingen, nothing else and it is a 6/8. It aint real Purdy per say but it is clean and rust free and shaves extremely well. It hones easily. On the spine it says Tuesday so it was from a 7 day set at one time
Got both of my Kanayamas from Takeshi- shameless plug for a great guy! The surfaces of my Kanayama No.3 and Kanayama 90K are nearly identical, the 90K a bit thicker. My Neil Miller, also Cordovan, seems to be almost an entirely different surface. The Kanayamas are slick and produce almost no drag on the razor when stropping, hockey puck on wet ice... With the Miller, you have a sensation of gliding over a kind of velvet that's impossibly silky. Almost...caressing (cue Barry White). Oddly, I have an old Illinois 6454 shell that feels very similar to the Kanayamas... Kanoyama-San won't divulge his treatment method for his Cordovan. Neil sources his from Horween. I wonder if they used brains on that old Illinois. Illinois = Kanayama, Kanayama=Brains? Hmmm...
My statement was partly in jest . I remove enough steel from the original blade in the majority of restorations that any edge or portion that contacted skin in the past is looooong gone!