Also arrived today: The Clauss Fremont SE razor from early 1910 or so. I don't always have a "Wow!" feeling when I receive a razor I've never seen before - but this one...this one is a Wow!-razor for me. It is very well built and have a rather unique mechanism where you twist the handle and push it up/down to lock the head into an open or locked down position. Everything about the mechanism works really well apart from the locking down. It doesn't quite want to close the top plate down. It doesn't seem to do with any of the internals as that's running smooth but rather with the topcap being a bit misaligned. I fiddled around with it some but couldn't quite get it to lock down fully. This is one I'm thinking about having sent out to be worked on as I'd love to see it back in full working order and looking a bit better. Came with the original box It takes these smaller, spine-less SE blades - that luckily one of the blade boxes was full of. They seem very honeable/stroppable. Back of the head with some patent information. It will be interesting to see how this one cleans up. The locking and twisting mechanism at the end of the handle:
Really cool piece! Love the complexity of old mechanics ( I love to fix and get old clocks running ) and this looks very interesting. Just the precision of 100-200 year old mechanics is amazing! Keep us appraised of where you are going with this one, and pictures of course!
I h I have bought some junk, $.25 TTO's to take apart and put back together to see how the process works. The works in the handle of yours looks pretty delicate tho.
A bunch of stuff from Ginger's Garden to give away: Glycerin soap, tallow luxury soft shaving soap, and aftershave in Cedar-Violet, for a graduating friend who likes Serge Lutens' Bois de Violette without liking the price-tag. Glycerin soap in Honeysuckle, for his fiance, who also graduated (with honors, congrats). Tallow luxury soft shaving soap in Honey-Pear, for my S/O, who is crazy about the Safanad parfum from Parfums de Marly. A Simpson's shaving brush for her is still en route from a different vendor. I just want to say, again, how impressed I am with the service at Ginger's Garden. Everything but the Honeysuckle soap was a custom job, and the order still took less than 72 hours to process - and may well have taken less than 48 as I didn't crunch the math particularly finely. Irena, if you read this, thanks very much.
After 9 days, my silver tip badger knot arrived from WD. I am stoked. After I dry fitted it in my Olive Wood handle, I went ahead and did the de-funk thing.
Question about de-funking a badger. I'm having my first badger knot and I love how it feels but it does have a certain 'aroma' to it. What can be done to get rid of that smell (it's already in the handle) - and if nothing, how long does it normally to take for the scent to go away with normal use?
Sure, you can do it in the handle, too. Larry suggests soaking in the OxiClean solution for 2-3 minutes and then rinsing with clean water. Then, repeat the process two times more. I really do not find the funk to be overbearing. This is the first time I have de-funked. I usually just let the scent go away through the process of repeated lathering. I can't really give you a time line. The OxiClean just jumpstarts the removal of funk.
Thanks - my knot isn't too bad smelling it's just a rather distinct scent that competed with the scent of the soap this morning to a point where it was noticeable. I think I might just let it de-funk through use - which I'm sure it will have a lot of. Thanks and best of luck with your new knot!
I wash mine with hair shampoo and conditioner. then I tend to load up new brushes even if it's not the brush I'm using that day. wash it out, let it dry. sometimes I'll lather it up in the evening, rinse it out after. 6-7 uses, the wet dog smell usually goes away. I've heard guys letting soap dry on the brush, I didn't care for that idea much.
I do what David suggested. It'll go away after 6 or 7 uses. The TGN Fan I put in the Olive Wood handle has to be the worst smelling one I have come across.
