- Thread starter
- #381
I wouldn't know what to do with myself. A NOS Bottom-Dial with the instructions, and all of the goods...
Gillette Bottom-Dial cleanup|Before and After
- Thread starter Captain Murphy
- Start date
It would be a little bit of heaven for sure.
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- #383
What would everyone think about a ROSE GOLD bottom dial? That would be an interesting sight! Heck, even a rose gold toggle would look purdy. If I ever get my hands on a bottom dial, you can bet your bottom that it would be custom, Cerakote and everything!
Chris, I imagine a Rose Gold Bottom Dial would be a sight to behold.
How about a Ceracote red, white and blue toggle. Call it "Captain America".
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- #386
That would be awesome! Get a couple and I could just do an entire Avengers bottom dial theme! Stan Lee would be very impressed, I'm sure
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- #387
Alright gents, as previously mentioned, we have another bottom-dial that sorely needs a thorough cleaning and restoration. This was sent to me by tukyou "Paul" and it looks pretty cruddy at first glance, oh the suspense!!! Before photos:
Attachments
It's definitly seen some use.
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- #389
Man....wait until I get the disassembly photos posted up..this thing is D I R T Y!!
You know what they say..... It's a dirty job but you can do it!
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- #391
Check it out fellas!
Wow! I knew it could use a good cleaning but I'm a little surprised at that. Is that rust in there or just gunk?
Nothing there to rust, though in theory, there could be some residue from an old forgotten carbon blade.
The good news is appears to have come apart cleanly so, hopefully, the clean up will be just as straight-forward.
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- #395
Yeah, when they first showed up, I looked under the adjuster plate for the notorious "bottom-dial buildup" and sure enough, it looked packed with crud. My guess is that this "stuff" is old shaving cream or soap residue (probably both) built up over years and years of use. It was very loose around that shaft with the spring so it wan't any hard water or mineral buildup. I am cleaning it up today. Tom is right on the rust, brass does not exactly "rust" but oxidizes rather. That is what all of that bluish-green stuff is that you see in the photos, "verdigris" as it is commonly known as. Think of the Statue of Liberty, same thing! I am a little concerned about the plating on this bottom-dial because of the verdigris issue. At first glance, it looks like the brass has been oxidizing underneath the plating, causing the plating to flake. I'll have to take some photos to give you gents some perspective. Chris Evatt is much better at explaining this whole verdigris plating business.
Yeah, I have seen the residue left on some of these old razors from carbon blades, it usually appears to be a yellowish/orange residue and usually comes off with a tiny bit of bar keepers friend and moderate buffing.
It has been easy so far!
I was thinking of the spring as far as possible rust issues, do the springs rust and deteriate?
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- #397
That's a good point, I guess the springs are "spring steel" so I suppose that they could rust and deteriorate. After seeing all of the TTO springs in various fatboys, slims, and SA's and the small number of bottom-dials I have worked on, none of them have shown apparent rusting, even Ken's (skeezixx) Hurricane Katrina Razor! I guess these springs are made out of a resilient metal because they are constantly exposed to water...Gillette continues to impress me with their designs.
And here's to hopeing it remains this way !
It has been easy so far![/QUOTE]
It has been easy so far![/QUOTE]
- Thread starter
- #399
Cleaned up nicely gents! Check it out:
In picture two, you can see the areas that I was concerned with. The oxidation or whatever chemical process that took place caused the plating to flake and you can see where it has come off as a result of cleaning. Other than this, the bottom-dial is very clean inside and out and the knurled handle and TTO cleaned up great! These doors also really shine, I haven't even taken polish to them yet. The blueing on the TTO, indicator spring, and thin collar near the top of the handle are a little faded, or gone completely!
In picture two, you can see the areas that I was concerned with. The oxidation or whatever chemical process that took place caused the plating to flake and you can see where it has come off as a result of cleaning. Other than this, the bottom-dial is very clean inside and out and the knurled handle and TTO cleaned up great! These doors also really shine, I haven't even taken polish to them yet. The blueing on the TTO, indicator spring, and thin collar near the top of the handle are a little faded, or gone completely!
Wow. That sure cleaned up nice.
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