2021 Saint George Special Edition
About two and half years ago we were looking for Paladin-themed art (e.g., knight and dragon) that might be suitable for engraving on one of our handles. I came across the woodcut frontispiece from Alexander Barclay’s “Life of Seynt George” (Westminster 1515). Working with an image that large and detailed presents a challenge when the surface area available for engraving is 1) less than one square inch and 2) curved both horizontally and vertically. But Cody did his thing and burned a test handle that turned out surprisingly well. I posted a photo of it in the Paladin Shaving Roundtable Group on Facebook in November 2018, which elicited a suggestion that we produce a St. George special edition brush. We liked the idea; however, in January of 2019 the pieces fell into place that led to our family’s move back to Colorado. We did manage to pull off a special edition for Paladin Shaving’s fifth anniversary in July 2019. Those brushes were 26 mm PK-47s with handles turned from our original Indigo stock. The engraving incorporated a knight and dragon, but Cody derived it from a stock image that didn’t require as much time and effort as using the woodcut would have.
In early March of this year I noticed that we only had about 90 inches of Indigo rod remaining. We bought out the manufacturer’s stock of that material in June and August of 2014. It might still be available on a custom-order basis, but I’d expect some degree of color variance, and the minimum order requirement could be prohibitive. We talked about how we should use what was left on the rack and decided to make as many 28 mm PK-47 handles out of it as possible and then revisit the St. George woodcut we set aside two years ago. Cody knocked the engraving out of the park. On April 24 (Saint George’s Day) we announced a special offering of the brushes we made with those handles. All the Indigo St. George PK-47s have now been placed with customers who ranked among our top 50 based on aggregate purchases since March 2016.
In early March of this year I noticed that we only had about 90 inches of Indigo rod remaining. We bought out the manufacturer’s stock of that material in June and August of 2014. It might still be available on a custom-order basis, but I’d expect some degree of color variance, and the minimum order requirement could be prohibitive. We talked about how we should use what was left on the rack and decided to make as many 28 mm PK-47 handles out of it as possible and then revisit the St. George woodcut we set aside two years ago. Cody knocked the engraving out of the park. On April 24 (Saint George’s Day) we announced a special offering of the brushes we made with those handles. All the Indigo St. George PK-47s have now been placed with customers who ranked among our top 50 based on aggregate purchases since March 2016.
Now we’re ready to accept a limited number of pre-orders for 28 mm St. George PK-47s with handles turned from either Alternative Ivory or Somerset, with a choice between polished or satin finish. All knots will be 2CLNK7s. Further details are set out below.
Pricing:
$260 plus cost of shipping with insurance.
Shipping:
In the absence of a compelling reason to consider an alternative carrier, shipping will be via USPS Priority Mail with insurance. We will charge $10.00 for shipping and insurance of orders for single brushes and add $2.50 for each additional brush in the case of orders for multiple brushes.
Shipping charges will be included in the final invoice.
Note that we are not able to ship brushes containing badger hair to non-US addresses. Many of our customers, however, use forwarding services such as
www.shipito.com. Caveats:
In the absence of a compelling reason to consider an alternative carrier, shipping will be via USPS Priority Mail with insurance. We will charge $10.00 for shipping and insurance of orders for single brushes and add $2.50 for each additional brush in the case of orders for multiple brushes.
Shipping charges will be included in the final invoice.
Note that we are not able to ship brushes containing badger hair to non-US addresses. Many of our customers, however, use forwarding services such as
www.shipito.com. Caveats:
1.) These brushes haven't been made yet. Production starts with turning handles in our shop in Fort Collins, Colorado. The handles are then handed off to Cody in Clark, CO, where he hand-finishes and engraves them. After that they go back to Fort Collins for knots, photographs, and order fulfillment. The cycle takes a few weeks minimally. We hope to have pre-order brushes made and ready to ship within about a month from their respective order dates, but we’re not in control of everything that can bear on that happening. If we encounter any significant delay, we’ll communicate promptly with customers holding affected orders.
2.) Pre-orders will require an advance payment of $60.00, which will not be refundable upon order cancellation.
3.) Pre-ordered brushes will not be returnable for a refund except by reason of a defect in material or workmanship.
4.) All pre-orders submitted pursuant to this process will be subject to availability of knots and handle material. We may have to cancel and refund orders if they accumulate to exceed existing inventory or production capacity. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet worked out a way to automatically discontinue acceptance of orders when one among several limits has been exceeded.
4.) The pre-order process, these instructions, and the pre-order form will be subject to change. So, please review this page whenever you return to it before submitting a new order.
6.) Only 2CLNK7 semi-bulb knots are being offered for pre-ordered brushes at
that this time. The materials currently available for selection are listed in drop-down menus under the two photos below. Examples of each material can be
seen by visiting the Paladin Brush Shop, making sure In Stock is de-selected, and then selecting materials (e.g., Somerset) of interest. Note that images of handles made from the same material may appear to be different due to different lighting,
composition, camera settings, and/or variation in the material. Note also that we offer many (but not all) materials in two different finishes: polished and satin.
6.) Only 2CLNK7 semi-bulb knots are being offered for pre-ordered brushes at
that this time. The materials currently available for selection are listed in drop-down menus under the two photos below. Examples of each material can be
seen by visiting the Paladin Brush Shop, making sure In Stock is de-selected, and then selecting materials (e.g., Somerset) of interest. Note that images of handles made from the same material may appear to be different due to different lighting,
composition, camera settings, and/or variation in the material. Note also that we offer many (but not all) materials in two different finishes: polished and satin.
How to Pre-Order:
1.) Click on the View Product button immediately below the handle material and finish.
2.) Next, you’ll be taken to a page where you can add your preferred handle material to your cart.
4.) After you’ve added your preferred product to your cart, continue to checkout, where you will be prompted to submit the required pre-payment. Be sure to use an active email account so we can contact you when the brush is complete.
4.) Once your brush is made and ready to ship, we'll send you a final invoice via email for the balance due plus shipping cost, payment of which will complete your purchase. Please only place an order if you are certain you’ll be able to pay for it. That said, if circumstances change subsequent to submission of a pre-order that give rise to doubt regarding your ability to complete payment, please let us know as soon as possible. We’ll do our best to work with you.
