Custom Razor - input needed on scales.

[Steelforge]

I'm building up to ordering another custom, the first for quite a long time. I don't have the budget to buy lots of razors these days, but I received a little money at Christmas and my birthday is in January, so I'm considering a 1-off purchase of a custom that will hopefully be special to me.

It's a shame I missed the boat on the B&B Zowada razor, as it's almost exactly what I'm after. However, every cloud has a silver lining and there are of course other great custom razor makers out there.

I've decided on the blade material/shape, so I'm not going to talk about that, other than it'll be a 5/8.

I need a little input on the material for scales. I want the razor to be as awesome/unique as possible, but it has to be a daily/regular shaver too. The shape I like is the 'standard' Thiers Issard shape, I'm not sure why but for me that shape is simple yet elegant. My main remaining question is over the material for the scales.

I want something rare/unique yet light, and preferably hardwearing. My first choice is mammoth ivory, but I have no idea how heavy or durable it is. Will it be light enough yet stand up to everyday use?

I'm not sure about hippo ivory, it looks lovely but isn't 'rare' as such.

I had 2 razors with stag antler scales in the past (a RW and a ML) and while they looked great I found the scales much too heavy for my preference, to me they upset the balance of the razor even when coupled with mahoosive 8/8 blades.

What about abalone, i.e. solid abalone? It looks stunning but I've never held any in my hand apart from some small samples, is it heavy/brittle when used on its own?

Any other thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?

 

[FloppyShoes]

I'm a huge fan of the standard TI shape as well. I find the "pointed" ends are well complimented by materials with lengthwise (Wood, Horn, etc.) Though I've never seen it done, I'd imagine perpendicular lines would not look as good (ie. snakewood or burl)

That being said, perhaps a nice exotic hardwood would be the best choice. I know it's not super rare, but it can be made very unique with carving, inlay, woodburning and other imbelishments. It's also very durable and requires little if any maintenance. I suggest Kingwood, Rosewood or Cocobolo with inlay and a semi gloss finish.

 

[jlander]

I had a TIPT-LE rescaled with Mammoth Ivory and the balance is perfect to my hand.

Kudu horn is also very durable and gorgeous to me.

The exotic woods are very nice, a Cocbolo burl or Rosewood burl would also be nice.

 

[Isaac]

I LOVE the looks of JLanders Rescale Mammoth Ivory.

 

[Bruce]

Amber ram's horn ala the Maestro's custom razors. Excuse me, I have to mop up my puddle of drool.

 

[izlat]

I think that Mammoth ivory may be a bit brittle / unstable, depending on conditions it withstood, but does look great with mineralization, of course.

*Normal* ivory (walrus, hippo) would be (and is) the ticket for me. Or even just take old ivory scales from another razor - but they will only balance a full hollow, in my experience. Abalone is too pimpy, too heavy, not to mention brittle - I'd say no go for you.

Some horns are also nice - I love RW's oryx, kudu is nice, etc. Woods can be nice but I am not as big on them, for some reason. I love the olivewood (you had a ML like this) and also pink ivory.

Best of luck
Ivo

 

[jlander]

I haven't had the Mammoth Ivory long enough to judge how stable it is, but it seems OK so far. RW has a set of Blue Mammoth Ivory scales on a razor in his galery that are GORGEOUS!!

The Pink Ivory is very nice, and I agree on the Oryx and Kudu horn.

 

[xman]

Giraffe bone is very nice too.

X

 

[Doc4]

I really like the look of abalone. It's a generally thin and light-weight material, so I suspect you'd need to have it attached to a backing of some sort, which shouldn't be a big deal. If done properly (well, that's the same for any of these options, right??) it'd be lightweight, stunning, and sturdy for daily use, I'd suspect.

 

[BillEllis]

If the mammoth ivory came from a spot that thaws out every year, as does a lot of it, then it has a tendency to flake, chip, and split. In these cases, it needs to be stabilized first by those folks that know how to do it. If the stabilization is not done, it will fall apart on you. Ken does it, and the process is not all that expensive. Color, as Ivo mentioned, comes from the minerals in the ground that are touching the ivory. Over thousands of years, the ivory absorbs different minerals to show off different colors. I'm partial to the blue colors, myself.

If the area where the tusk was found never thaws out, then you wind up with some very solid and beautiful specimins. This is the type of ivory that I use. Although it is not absolutely necessary to have this type of ivory stabilized, I am one of those who thinks it should be done anyway.

I am partial to oosic because it is strong, very attractive, and it polishes up just like the old mastadon/mammoth ivory. Often the pores need to be filled with epoxy, as I have done here. Normally, I make it black, but you can make it any color. If you get the "bark" of the oosic, the pores are not as pronounced as shown on this knife of mine. As long as the bone doesn't have the flesh still on it, the origin should not bother you...

I would stay away from the shells and rocks. They can be heavy and they break easily unless they are lined. I also think you would tire of the abalone bright colors after a while, especially if you don't have a large stable of razors to change the pace, so to speak.

If you want something different, elegant, and timeless, do this. Have the scales made from bleached cow bone. Have it polished, then send it to Sandra Brady or any other good shander to put something on one or both sides of the scales... depending on how much money you have.

 

[Steelforge]

Thanks guys, and especially Bill.

It's a tough one, I want something really special/cool/unique but it also needs to be a daily user rather than a museum piece. I'll have to give this some serious thought, and I suspect I'll have to go for something like an exotic type of horn rather than something potentially fragile.