How common or rare is a Gillette Toggle?
- Thread starter K.T.
- Start date
I think he means a photo of the giant Toggle model. Matt P from RE has one. It's like a 3 foot sized advertising prop. I could be wrong.
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My point here is for the Toggle to work right, it needs to be properly cleaned and maintained periodically. A Toggle like a gun is a mechanical tool. If they don't work as well as you would wish, look in the mirror. The Toggle needs to be kept clean and free of excess soap. Sure the odd Toggle may not have been manufactured to the best tolerances. But, it is an amazing mechanical device - super collectible. But as a daily user, get a 3 piece or clean your damn weapon! (I am not being personal here; this is a general statement to all people).
Not wrong at all! I love those advertising razors and always have trouble finding the photos.
Thanks!
Heh. I have two slims that are in non-functional condition (other than as standard TTO) because of failure to maintain. Soaking didn't do much, so I've managed to force mineral oil through the adjustment mechanism (that rides on the main shaft), and I'm hoping that softens things up enough that the ultrasonic cleaner can loosen the detritus. If not, it's using a Bic pen and dismantling time.
I have no interest in the Toggle. However, I want that giant blade dispenser!
I think the best way to keep a Gillette Adjustable as a user is to clean it as you go. Hit it with a toothbrush once a week and scrubbing bubbles. Once that soap builds up and gets all down in there it is a bear to deal with. The old soap turns to rock. But from the 50's till today many many of these razors are still going strong 60 years later! So, a more complicated design is not necessarily a bad thing. Don't mean to dis on some of the older designs, which are much simpler, but what is up with all those cracked handles?
That's actually VERY simple. They're not brazed, soldered, or threaded together, which would have led to a longer lifespan. The 'knob' with the 'nut' threads and the base 'knob' are both friction fit. The brass handle is just machined tubing, and probably wasn't certified for any particular pressure, so over time, any weakness in the metal showed as lines of fracture as the knobs placed constant pressure on the walls of the tubes.
Clear as mud?
Oh - if the brass tubing had been thicker, they probably would have been fine, as it would have distributed the pressure a bit more evenly.
Very clear. Over tightening on the 'knob' crushes or cracks the tube over time.
Not just over tightening. You'll find some of the razors have been used little or not at all, and they still exhibit hairline fractures at the stress points. The metal is VERY thin, and they really rammed the ends into place.
And it is not like those razors were cheap at the time $5.00 in the 1920's is like $60 to $80 now. You would want them to last a bit of time for that amount of coin.
My point is that the Adjustables need more routine cleaning maintenance but may actually be a better design than some of the other models. I have a #58 that is really well built. Not much maintenance - very good design.
Well, they probably didn't really notice the problem for about 10-15 years. At that point, they would have been "Well, we didn't give a lifetime guarantee, and if someone doesn't like it, they'll buy ANOTHER razor!" If you notice, the later 'fat handle' techs don't have the problem, and the later ball end techs are solid - just bored out enough for threading at the top.
Brass work hardens during forming and has to be annealed afterward to relieve stress. This type of cracking is also common in bottleneck rifle cases that are fired and resized repeatedly. My guess is Gillette neglected to perform this process following tube forming, and the rest is history.
Why should they have done it? It would be an extra (possibly expensive) step. 'That's good enough' has always been the mantra of manufacturing. (There comes a time in every product's development where you have to shoot the engineer and put the thing into production.) Heck, the tubing was probably run continuously into one machine, machined in long sections, then cut to size. (you'd want to wait to anneal until after the machining)
For the _expensive_ razors, like the Sheraton, Senator, Aristocrats, President, Diplomat, and so forth, they probably _did_ put in that extra mile. I also noticed that fewer of the Single Ring have the cracking problem that I've seen.
For the _expensive_ razors, like the Sheraton, Senator, Aristocrats, President, Diplomat, and so forth, they probably _did_ put in that extra mile. I also noticed that fewer of the Single Ring have the cracking problem that I've seen.
Oh...Matt does have one in his renewed store front in Arizona.
