Zamak head on Gillette Tech?

[GKC1]

I recently bought a Gillette Travel Tech that was advertised as NOS 1975 Made in England (and "Made in England" is inscribed on the plate.) The razor certainly appears to be unused. Is the head on this model made of Zamack or some sort of alloy? It is very light.

I also just bought a Merkur 15c, and I assume the head on it is made of Zamack also...correct?

Thanks.

 

[nuclearblast]

Yup ... Zamak, the top cap at least, not sure about the baseplate but probably it's pot metal too.

The Merkur is also Zamak.

 

[GKC1]

Yup ... Zamak, the top cap at least, not sure about the baseplate but probably it's pot metal too.

Thank you.

Do you know (or does anyone else know) when the Techs were last made with a real metal head (that is, not pot metal) ?

 

[nuclearblast]

Thank you.

Do you know (or does anyone else know) when the Techs were last made with a real metal head (that is, not pot metal) ?

Not sure, but there's examples from the early 60 still made of brass. Like this one:

http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Tech/1961 Tech Super Blue Blade beschriftet Logo.jpg

I believe only the heads with faceted caps are made of Zamak. Porter also once said there's Techs with Zamak caps from the war period, because they needed the brass to make other kind of stuff ...

 

[GKC1]

I believe only the heads with faceted caps are made of Zamak. Porter also once said there's Techs with Zamak caps from the war period, because they needed the brass to make other kind of stuff ...

For what it's worth, I got out my handy-dandy-magnetic-tool-pickerupper and did a little test. Interestingly of the razors I own, I found the following:

Atra metal handle: no attraction (strong attraction to blades)
Mach 3 metal handle: no attraction (strong attraction to blades)
Maggard MR8 head: no attraction
Maggard MR8 handle: attraction, but fairly weak (this handle is supposed to be stainless steel, but there are two types: ferritic stainless steels are ferromagnetic while austenitic stainless steels are not...and even ferritic stainless steel has "zones" of reaction, so I read)
Gillette Travel Tech: no attraction to head or handle
Classic Samurai CS-204: no attraction to head or handle (handle is probably plated brass)
Merkur 15C: no attraction to head or handle (handle is probably plated brass)
Feather Popular: strong attraction to head (the handle and bottom plate are plastic, so of course no attraction)

Some of the handles (like the Atra and Mach 3) may be aluminum, so no reaction would be expected) but I found it interesting (if nothing else) that the only razor I currently have that reacts strongly to a magnet is the Feather Popular...a very inexpensive, mostly plastic razor!

 

[Peter_A]

I had an X1 (1952) Tech with a Zamak top cap.

 

[nuclearblast]

I had an X1 (1952) Tech with a Zamak top cap.

Korean War period ... yes, I think Porter mentioned that.

 

[MacDaddy]

I had an X1 (1952) Tech with a Zamak top cap.

Korean War period ... yes, I think Porter mentioned that.

Yeah, I believe that's when Gillette started dabbling with it, and then when they switched over to the faceted caps in the '60s I think is when they went whole hog. I think those guard plates were still stamped metal, though, which I believe would rule out zinc alloy there. That would either still be brass, or aluminum or possibly even steel in some earlier cases.

 

[nocutsnonicksnoweepers]

Edgar is spot-on! The "faceted caps" with the deep Gillette stamping on the top surface are pot metal.

Also be very careful with the Tech caps that are "frosted"-looking (Gillette diamond area is shiny, but the rest of the top surface is "frosted"). I have been caught off-guard by those on several occasions.

I have found that the caps with the Gillette diamond as etched-looking, but with the rest of the top surface shiny - have been brass.

Maybe @ nuclearblast has some photos to show the different caps I have referenced? I do not have photos of them!

 

[nuclearblast]

Edgar is spot-on! The "faceted caps" with the deep Gillette stamping on the top surface are pot metal.

Also be very careful with the Tech caps that are "frosted"-looking (Gillette diamond area is shiny, but the rest of the top surface is "frosted"). I have been caught off-guard by those on several occasions.

I have found that the caps with the Gillette diamond as etched-looking, but with the rest of the top surface shiny - have been brass.

Maybe @ nuclearblast has some photos to show the different caps I have referenced? I do not have photos of them!

Fortunately, we have Achim's site!

I believe this is the ''frosted'' cap:

Etched, shiny surface:

And the faceted pot metal cap:

 

[nocutsnonicksnoweepers]

Fortunately, we have Achim's site!

I believe this is the ''frosted'' cap:

Etched, shiny surface:

And the faceted pot metal cap:

Exactly! Thanks, Edgar!

 

[Borderdog]

That's interesting. I assume most Travel Techs have seen limited usage, but those full size Techs were likely used quite a bit. Is the plating that much better that they lasted 50+ years, or is zamak more durable than a lot of us think?

 

[cpacamper]

So could this be a rough timeline:

Pre WW2: not zinc
WW2 versions: zinc
Post WW2 to Korean War: not zinc
Korean War era: zinc
Post Korean war, non stamped cap(mid 50s to mid 60s): not zinc
Stamped cap, mid 60s onward: zinc.

Any ideas about the British Techs?

I've rediscovered my 1966 Tech and am really enjoying the shave but am disappointed to find the cap is zinc, not brass.

 

[patten1969]

That's interesting. I assume most Travel Techs have seen limited usage, but those full size Techs were likely used quite a bit. Is the plating that much better that they lasted 50+ years, or is zamak more durable than a lot of us think?

I remember my mom saying about cheap metal toys that they were made of 'pot metal,' and they generally broke fairly quickly. That pot metal and Zamak are not the same thing at all. Zamak is an industrial metal used for all kinds of things, and while it's true it is cast, it is a perfectly fine material to use for razor heads. It doesn't surprise me that those Gillettes held up.
In any case, the older I get, the less worried I am about a product wearing out.

 

[nuclearblast]

That's interesting. I assume most Travel Techs have seen limited usage, but those full size Techs were likely used quite a bit. Is the plating that much better that they lasted 50+ years, or is zamak more durable than a lot of us think?

I remember my mom saying about cheap metal toys that they were made of 'pot metal,' and they generally broke fairly quickly. That pot metal and Zamak are not the same thing at all. Zamak is an industrial metal used for all kinds of things, and while it's true it is cast, it is a perfectly fine material to use for razor heads. It doesn't surprise me that those Gillettes held up.
In any case, the older I get, the less worried I am about a product wearing out.

True, pot metal is not exactly the same thing as Zamak. And Zamak can last a long time. Mostly it depends on how careful you are with the razor, and the quality of the plating. If the plating is less than perfect and the Zamak gets exposed, the soap itself will start dissolving the alloy, since it's an alkaline substance and Zamak really doesn't like alkaline substances. Once that starts happening, there's nothing you can do ... except buying another razor.

Once you start seeing this, it's only a matter of time ...

Sometimes it just breaks:

If you're lucky and it doesn't break, then it'll last some more time. But eventually it may look like this:

A vintage Gillette, made of brass, can be totally stripped and it'll still provide decades of great shaves. Or you can just get it replated, and not only it'll shave great it'll also look great for the next 50 or 60 years.

Just my opinion anyway.

 

[GKC1]

In any case, the older I get, the less worried I am about a product wearing out.

And things that will last a "lifetime" don't really have to last all that long...

 

[lindley]

Wow, bummer, must have something in your water. All my pot metal razors look great, and will stay that way, as I mentioned before, I take care of mine.

 

[nuclearblast]

Wow, bummer, must have something in your water.

That's what Merkur always says ...

 

[lindley]

That's what Merkur always says ...

Sorry to hear about that. Have you actually tried taking better care of your razors? Maybe I should send you some water from my side of the world.

 

[nuclearblast]

Sorry to hear about that. Have you actually tried taking better care of your razors? Maybe I should send you some water from my side of the world.

Those razors are not mine, different members posted those pics, and there's many more examples. I found a solution though, I don't buy pot metal razors anymore, and currently I only have two.

Sounds pretty lame when a brand like Merkur tells their customers that it's their fault, or their water's fault. At least EJ and Muhle stand behind their products (even if they're made of pot metal) and send replacement parts whenever an issue like this comes up.

Merkur's approach is different. It's the water's fault, we're sorry - there's nothing we can do.

Really?? A razor damaged by water ... how lame is that.

What they really should say is: ''We're terribly sorry, our plating is of very poor quality, and we're not planning on doing anything about that.''

A razor is a tool, I don't have the patience to clean and dry my razor after every single use. The solution? I avoid pot metal, simple as that.