Another DFS just went up Brand: Grah & Plûmacher Model: Black Diamond Origin: Solingen Germany Steel: Carbon Size: 5/8 Grind: Full Hollow Point: Square point Scales: Celluloid Honing: Chosera 1k, Henckels 1-3-8, Zulu Stone The steel is a beautiful Satin Glow with new Bluing to match the original on the Spine and Tang.. The razor closes center and the scales are also near mint... These razors are extremely smooth shavers, they are a well known Solingen brand
John S Holler & Co. "Tower Brand" in Ivory This one just went up for sale on the website Specs: Maker: John S. Holler & Co ( c 1867-1906) Brand: Tower Brand Model: #77 Origin: Germany Steel: Carbon Size: 13/16 Grind: Full Hollow Point: Square Scales: Custom Pre-Ban Ivory @ .110 thickness Wedge: Vintage Lead Pins: Nickel Silver Washers: Outside = SS, Inner = Brass Honing: Naniwa 1-3-5-8-10-12 The steel on this razor is mint, there is zero hone wear showing the razor is a full 13/16+ width.. The scales are custom Pre-ban Elephant Ivory, polished to a soft gleam that only Ivory posesses... Thanks for looking
Gemstar Custom Razor Set #66 Maker: Theo Wilson - Ironmonger Clitheroe England Origin: Sheffield England yet Forged and ground in Germany Steel: Sheffield Carbon Size: 6/8 Grind: Full Hollow Point: Round Scales: Camelthorn Wedge: Silver lined Malachite Pins: Nickel Silver Washers: Outside = SS, Inner = Brass Honing: Chosera 1k, Henckels 1-3-8, Coticule The steel on this razor is excellent, there is zero hone wear showing the razor is a full 6/8 width The razor is stamped Theo Wilson - Ironmonger - Clithroe on the front and Finest Sheffield Steel, Forged and Ground in Germany on the back.. The Scales are a rather rare wood called Camelthorn and have been Vacuum Chamber treated with Polyurethene and buffed to a nice polish with Renaissance Wax.. The Brush: Is also hand turned by me and made of Camelthorn with a matching Silver and Malachite base.. The Knot is a 24mm Overstuffed Silvertip set a 52mm of loft, the overall length is 115mm.. The handle was also Vacuum Chamber treated with Polyurethane and then polished with Renaissance Wax.. Listed on the website "For Sale" page When I saw the Camelthorn I fell for it in an instant, and I didn't remember anyone ever using it for razors before, so I had to go for it.. About Camelthorn Small tree that grows in the savannah of South Africa and Mozambique is hard to find, but is great as a turning wood It is unlikely if you have wood books in your shop that you will find camel thorn (Acacia erioloba) listed. The short tree - some refer to it as a tall shrub - grows in the savannah of South Africa and the southern part of Mozambique. It is a dense wood and comes in small widths and sizes. It is prized for its color. "It's like a typical acacia tree," says Fabs Corte, a wood dealer with Cormark International in Weaverville, N.C. "It has a pretty big trunk and then at about 10' it opens up. It's a pretty new wood to the U.S. It is not abundantly available. We put it in the same realm as pink ivory in terms of process of cutting, finding the logs, getting the permits and everything else. It is a dark-reddish color and the sapwood is white. It has black streaking in it. Maybe the best way to describe it is that it looks sort of like a red-colored wenge. It is not as straight-grained as zebrawood, not as pronounced. "It doesn't grow in groves; it is usually one tree standing alone in a savannah. But generally there will be other trees nearby, maybe 150' away. It is in about the same volume as pink ivory, so it is a valuable tree. You have to get permits to cut it; you have to go apply to the local provincial government to get cutting licenses. It is quite a process. When you get to trees like this that aren't as prevalent, there are a lot more loops you have to go through to get the right permits to cut it down. When we cut it down, we adhere to all the environmental laws that are set for that tree." Camel thorn, also known locally as kameeldoring, is mainly used for turnings, small furniture projects, knife handles, spoons, pen blanks and inlays. It is also highly sought after by members of the Wood Collector's Society. Corte, who was raised in South Africa, says the natives use the bark of the tree to treat headaches and make tea from the leaves, which have some medicinal uses as well. It has often been used as firewood in the savannah. "I've wanted to get it for years and years," says Richard Kuehndorf of Carleton McClendon Inc. Rare Woods and Veneers in Atlanta. "It is probably the prettiest wood I have ever seen. It's an acacia and those are always pretty anyway, but it has an amazing multi-color look to it. If you look at it closely, you can probably see every color of the rainbow in it when it is flatcut. The quartersawn won't show it so much. Good sizes are extremely rare. "It's a great turning wood because of all the colors; it just kind of dazzles the eyes. It's a lot like wenge, which has a consistent chocolate-milk color stripe in it. It's like putting a different color in all those lines. It's a shame it is so rare." "It is a dense and heavy wood," Corte adds. "It has the working properties of purpleheart - about 55 lbs./cu. ft. It is a little open-grained like a wenge, but with a little bit of sanding and some good finish application you can get a really high luster on it. But it will oxidize. When you first mill it fresh, it has a bright-red color to it and over time it goes to more of a dark-red, almost brown color." It machines like the Australian acacias, which are really hard. The wood cuts very clean and doesn't chip out much. One oddity is it is believed that lightning will strike camel thorn more often than other trees. "I brought some in earlier in the year, but all I could get was some small pieces because the size of the logs weren't very good," says Corte, who is currently in South Africa cutting camel thorn. "We tried to cut lumber, but we had a lot of defects just because of the size of the log. The new stuff that is coming in is going to [cost] around $20 to $25/bf. Widths and lengths are very similar to cocobolo. You're going to get stuff that is 3" and wider, 3' long at the most. When they cut the tree down, they are going to try and utilize every single [inch] that they can. Maximum widths would be 6" to 7" on a good tree." Thanks for looking and reading
This one just went up on the website, again messing with a process to keep improving the product.. The Elk Antler was treated in the Vacuum Chamber with the Daly's Seafin, I saw a process done like this to treat Bone and Antler on knives to keep them from ever breaking down over time and decided that it sure couldn't hurt... Even though the ends are always sealed on my brushes I figured that by forcing a water proof sealer throughout the Antler's porous structure would only help keep these brushes lasting for years longer.. Rocky Mountain Elk Antler Brass accent plate Black Marble Acrylic base 24mm Overstuffed Silvertip Bulb knot OAL = 110 mm Loft = A nice firm 52mm Thanks for looking
Esber & George Co. in Arctic White G-10 This 6/8 Improved Eagle Razor from Esber & George Co is also stamped Warranted.. The scales are a thin .105" Arctic White G-10 the Wedge is Recon Turquoise internal bearing washers are Brass externals are SS with NiAg pins.. The 3rd pin has a NiAg fancy center post... Thanks for looking
"BEAUTIFUL" !!!!! Makes me want to take up straight razor shaving just for an excuse to collect more "LOL" just what I need....
Gemstar DFS Razor #179 Brand: WH Morely & Co. Model: Clover Trademark Origin: Germany Steel: Carbon Size: 5/8 Grind: Full Hollow Point: Square point Scales: Celluloid Honing: Chosera 1k, Henckels 1-3-8, Zulu Stone The steel is about as mint as can be, zero visible hone wear, with a beautiful subtle smile.. The razor closes center but but occasionally can touch the far scale, so you need to be careful other than that the scales are also near mint... These Morely Clover brand razors are extremely smooth shavers, they a a well hidden name brand that will shave circles around many better known names.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gemstar DFS Razor #183 Brand: Union City Cutlery Co Origin: USA Steel: Carbon Size: 5/8+ Grind: Full Hollow Point: Spike Point Jimps: Bottom Scales: Original Slick Black Celluloid Honing: Chosera 1k, Henckels 1-3-8, Thuringen The razor closes center on the mint original scales..The steel is just excellent there is no hone wear it doubt it was ever honed except at the factory.. The Spike point is pristine, and it will stay that way unless the new owner asks specifically for me to soften it a bit.. I simply broke it down Polished it a tiny bit and put here back together using all Brass Hardware.. Thanks for looking Prices can be found on the website "For Sale" page For Sale - Gem Star Customs
Just went up on the website "For Sale Page" This is obviously a special brush as it is a Antler base, these are very dense and solid, and I leave them pretty natural when I get them. The very bottom has been polished to an Ivory like sheen and coated with Renaissance Wax.. I used a 22mm Overstuffed Silvertip and it is a very stiff 50mm loft setting, so this brush should give a fantastic lathering action regardless of your choice of product or application.. Rocky Mountain Elk Antler 22mm Overstuffed Silvertip Bulb knot OAL = 105 mm on the longest measurement Loft = A very firm 50mm Thanks for looking
DFS Razors - just posted Feb 21 Gemstar DFS Razor #184Brand: Griffon XXModel: 00Origin: GermanySteel: Carbon Size: 5/8Grind: Full HollowPoint: Spike Point Jimps: BottomScales: Original Slick Black CelluloidHoning: Chosera 1-5-10, ThuringenThe razor closes center on the mint original scales..The razor is just excellent, there is no visible hone wear on the clean, shiny, steel... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gemstar DFS Razor #185Brand: E. Morris MFG. Co. (Detroit MI)Model: Prosperity Hand Forged #450Origin: Solingen GermanySteel: Carbon Size: 5/8Grind: Full HollowPoint: Spike Point Scales: Original Gold Tranlucent CelluloidHoning: Chosera 1-5-10, ThuringenRazor has been Cleaned and Polished, No visible hone wear, No Rust or Patina just an excellent shaver closes centered... Thanks for looking Prices can be found on the website "For Sale" pageFor Sale - Gem Star Customs
Gemstar Custom Razor #69 Maker: Beckher - Otto inc. Model: Bona Fide Origin: New York NY USA Steel: Carbon Size: 11/16 Grind: Full Hollow Point: Square Scales: Honey Horn Wedge: Brass lined Tigereye (recon) Pins: Brass Washers: Brass Honing: Chosera 1-5-10, Escher The steel on this razor is MINT !!!! there has been no restoration on the steel it still has the original bluing on the tang, there is zero visible hone wear showing.. The razor is a full 11/16 width,, The Hardware is all Brass in and out accenting the Brass Lined Tigereye (recon) wedge The Brush: Body: Rocky Mountain Elk Antler Base: Brass Lined Tigereye (recon) Overall Length: 105mm Loft: 54mm Knot size: 22mm Knot Type: Overstuffed TGN Silvertip Price available on the website for sale page...
For quite some time I have been pondering the Beginner Strop dilemma, I have wondered how to produce and sell a strop for a good price, but still give a Beginner the best opportunity to succeed in learning to strop.. After thinking about it over the last year I realized the answer was right in front of me, I have always advised beginners to lay their Hanging strops along the edge of a Table or Counter top when learning to use them.. This eliminates the sagging issue, and also allows a Beginner to concentrate on learning the "Flip".. Learning how to Flip the razor on the spine while changing direction is really the key to good stropping.. Using a Bench strop also eliminates the over-pressure issues and should help you to NOT fold the edge while stropping.. Best of all you really should not be cutting this strop up... So I thought about what a Beginner needs for a first strop, I measured my hanging strops and found that 16 inches was the average length of the stropping surface, I figured 3 inches wide would make a Beginner comfortable.. I sourced some good quality 8-9oz Vegetable Tanned Leather and went to work, I bought some nice Oak, Stained & Sealed it with Polyurethane included a label with stropping instructions on the bottom.. After attaching some 3/4 inch silicone feet the NEW Gemstar Customs Bench Strop is now available from the website ... Now for the best news, these are what I actually use for pasted strops, I have found no better way to use pastes as of yet, so after you learn to "Flip" the razor and strop correctly, you know you are going to go buy a High Quality hanging strop and this will not go to waste.. You can simply add CrOx or your favorite paste and re-purpose it.. Or if you just need a good platform for applying pastes now, the price is sure right.. I do not know what shipping is going to be yet so I will just say actual shipping price plus actual packaging until I send a few out and get an idea.. Prices and Ordering available at http://gemstarcustoms.com/index.php/for-sale.html