Iwasaki Kamisori - New Razor w/ Homemade Wrap

[HunterBlades]

I ordered an Iwasaki Kamisori a week or so ago. The 50mm swedish steel version. It is an amazing razor, all I did was strop it on my balsa with crox/irox and it shaved wonderfully. Super close and extremely smooth.

It is a beautiful looking razor, fit and finish is best i've ever seen on a kami. The only problem I had was being unable to find one with rattan already around the handle. I ended up doing a wrap my self.

I took a super smooth and supple piece of deer hide and used a ruler + knife(razor sharp) to cut a thin piece of cord from it. I then wrapped the handle pulling the leather as tight as possible. No glue was used. The wrap came out perfect, so tight it won't budge. A friend actually argued with me saying I glued it, even though you can see where I pulled the ends under. The deerskin feels so nice in hand that I might never have it redone traditionally with rattan.

Here are some pics(last 2 have best light), let me know what you think. Should I have it redone traditionally sometime in the future?

 

[coyoteboyuk]

Very nice! I bought a used one recently to try it out. Do love the look and want to test the feel.

 

[BSAGuy]

Very nice and well wrapped. Thanks for the photos.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Lovely razor but isn't there a possibility that you'll have a problem with humidity? I would expect the deer skin to be slightly absorbant.

 

[P Funk]

Beauty of a razor and very nice job on the wrap. It looks great.
I second the concern that the leather, if wet or damp/moist, could enable constant exposure of the steel to moisture.
Let us know how it looks, feels after a couple of shaves (or just time with leather cord in place). Might be a good idea to keep a close eye on it.

 

[Snuff-Belgium]

Although it looks great I'm afraid water won't do it any good.

 

[Brooksie967]

Sexy! That should do the trick.

 

[oakeshott]

It looks great, but leather does retain moisture and those razors aren't alloyed with any alloys that help prevent oxidation. I'd enjoy it for a while and then think of some other sort of wrap.

The truth is, however, that no matter what wrap you use, some sort of oxidation is bound to occur. I suspect that's why those removable plastic handles were so popular; they were removable.

 

[metatron]

nice! makes it look tough.

 

[HunterBlades]

I don't keep it in the bathroom. Also i live in an incredibly dry and hot (this time of year) part of california. I figure as long as i'm not sloppy and only get water on the blade i should be fine.

You guys are correct though because I didn't dry the ugly temp leather I used once and it did oxidize/rust it a tiny bit in speckles on the non black area. Came off no problem with the handle finish intact. That leather was 3x thicker than deerskin. Moisture is what made me get worried and use the thinner hide.

So far it's working great, feels soft and comfortable in hand. I can also unwrap and check it if I got it wet or anything.

 

[Kentos]

Nice job! I would echo some of the sentiment that the leather will retain moisture and rust your handle. I plasticoated my kamisori handle and stuck it in a Tosuke rubber handle and it rusted. I plastidipped the another one, then wrapped in cotton twine and then plastidipped the whole thing and it still rusted. Mine wasn't Swedish steel tho so YMMV.

 

[oakeshott]

Most of our razors are unalloyed carbon steel. They're just going to rust unless there's some sort of maintenance or they're stored in such a way that moisture, even in trace amounts, is kept from them. Storage in silicon sleeves and/or a light coating of oil is about the only thing that will do it. Even when coated with something like a polymer film, moisture can still be embedded in the metal prior to the application and then trapped there by the film. It can also wick its way underneath any wrapping in minute amounts. Water is SPECTACULARLY good at that.

Wrapping these handles in anything, doesn't matter what, is going to trap moisture. No way around it. Best bet is a removable handle that allows for ad hoc maintenance combined with proper storage and/or oil coating. I store mine in silicon sleeves.