oil a Gillette adjustable safety razor?

[Mike Williams]

I have a Gillette adjustable safety razor, in pretty good shape. I am wondering if I am supposed to oil or lubricate it. I just soaked and brushed it in Dove dish soap, and it is clean. It has moving parts. Am I supposed to lubricate them? Maybe that is not necessary for something frequently submerged in water. I dunno.
Thank you, input is appreciated.

 

[FarmerTan]

Yes, I THINK folks use mineral oil. Hopefully someone will chime in!

 

[brucered]

No oil for me. I've never had any issues or squeaks.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Yes, a couple of drops of mineral oil is often recommended, especially if the TTO mechanism is a little 'sticky', even after a good soak in hottish water with washing up liquid.

Just stand the razor up, doors open obviously and use a dropper to put a little oil down the central handle well opening hole in the tray.

Works for the adjustables, and the Super Speeds too.

However, I have never had to do it for my adjustables or Super Speed, even though their combined age is about 220 years. Superb engineering, and does brass self-lubricate, or did I dream that?

 

[FarmerTan]

I wonder if Gillette used Graphite powder back when they made these things? Any of you know?

 

[brucered]

There are numerous threads and opinions on it.

I feel unless you disassemble it and clean it, you are just adding oil on top of the dirty mechanism.

As a cyclist, I always clean, dry and lube my chain for proper operation. Adding oil to a dirty chain is counter-productive.

 

[FarmerTan]

There are numerous threads and opinions in it.

I feel unless you disassemble it and clean it, you are just adding oil to the dirty mechanism.

As a cyclist, I always clean, dry and lube my chain for proper operation. Adding oil to a dirty chain is counter productive.

Yes. I can only assume that one would be turning whatever gunk is in there into something resembling wheel bearing grease!

 

[AlphaFrank75]

I tried lubing my Black Beauty because of a squeaky TTO with a very light machine oil. I used a light touch with the oil, but over the course of a few months, I think it made the TTO worse. It got to the point that the last 1/4 turn wouldn't work. I think what may have happened is the oil penetrated what soap residue there may have been built up over time and softened it up enough to gunk up the works. Just a guess on my part. It took a whole lot of soaking to get it back into good working condition. Once I finished soaking the razor, the squeaking disappeared.

So anyway, I won't be lubing my adjustables anymore.

 

[santamariasteve]

It is controversial. What is not controversial is Gillette did not recommend lubricating their adjustable razors.

My view is to keep the adjustable razor clean with periodic brief soakings in warm soapy water, and there will probably be no problems. If it still squeaks, then give it a drop oil.

 

[Tomo]

There are numerous threads and opinions on it.

I feel unless you disassemble it and clean it, you are just adding oil on top of the dirty mechanism.

As a cyclist, I always clean, dry and lube my chain for proper operation. Adding oil to a dirty chain is counter-productive.

A hot wax dip is the go bicycle chains. Clean, dry and minimal friction. I got on board last year and I’m a convert. Probably not much good for safety razors though…

 

[Alum Ladd]

There are numerous threads and opinions on it.

I feel unless you disassemble it and clean it, you are just adding oil on top of the dirty mechanism.

As a cyclist, I always clean, dry and lube my chain for proper operation. Adding oil to a dirty chain is counter-productive.

The issue with that, is that probably most owners would not feel confident in disassembling their adjustables. I certainly would not risk screwing up a beautiful vintage machine, due to my mechanical ineptitude.

Storing them upright for a few hours after the shave helps to drain the mechanism. The a good drying. I keep my TTO's in plastic ziplok bags with small silica gel pouches.

Prolonged soaking and hoping is probably the best course. A tiny oil job as a last resort.

 

[romsitsa]

I wonder if Gillette used Graphite powder back when they made these things? Any of you know?

The US did not use any type of lubricant, the UK used a heavy grease for for the double screw models (Rocket, Ss, Aristocrat etc.)

 

[FarmerTan]

The US did not use any type of lubricant, the UK used a heavy grease for for the double screw models (Rocket, Ss, Aristocrat etc.)

Thanks for that my friend!

I knew that moving parts create friction, and was curious!

 

[preidy]

If it ain't broke (no squeaks & opens smoothly) leave it as is. Generally the normal use of water and shave creme will provide sufficient lubrication. If needed use sparingly minerial oil. Stand the razor up and one drop and let gravity do it's work. If needed repeat. Do not over do it.

 

[airmech]

The US did not use any type of lubricant, the UK used a heavy grease for for the double screw models (Rocket, Ss, Aristocrat etc.)

Gillette did not use lube on their razors as they never expected them to last 40+ years. They expected them to be replaced if they failed at some point. If you are experiencing sticking, squeaking etc. you can clean them real good with hot water and then oil them with a light touch of oil!!!

Tom

 

[pipskicks]

I am not good about cleaning mine, so usually mine gets stuck because of dried soap. If you use hot water you can usually get it all out and it is back to normal.

 

[BigJ]

There are numerous threads and opinions on it.

I feel unless you disassemble it and clean it, you are just adding oil on top of the dirty mechanism.

As a cyclist, I always clean, dry and lube my chain for proper operation. Adding oil to a dirty chain is counter-productive.

+1! Great analogy, ‘adding oil to a dirty chain is counter-productive!’

 

[HDSledge]

No oil, ever. Oil or lubricant will act to contain dirt particles which makes for an abrasive paste. Not to mention once it begins to thicken or harden your problems will get worse and it will be more difficult to remove. Oil and grease are necessary for metal to metal contact on items such as motorcycle/bike chains or rapidly moving engine parts, firearms, or other items where friction must be mitigated. Razors should be kept squeaky clean with a good rinse after use and by letting them dry thoroughly. Never put a wet razor back into it's case.

Old razors received with sticky mechanisms should be soaked in hot soapy solution (Dawn works great for this) but don't boil it. It may take a few sessions to free up the mechanism but keep it up a few more times to be sure the old dirt and debris is flushed out. Water under pressure to flush out Dawn soaked razors is your friend, oil is not.

 

[desrgrl]

There are people that will do the cleaning and check if it needs adjusting.

The one I know about is a company/person (Back Roads Gold) that does re-plating, but also offers a cleaning/adjusting service. I was checking them out because I was considering getting my 'new' slim re-plated. Just Google the name to get the site. It is $27 USD, and included a disassembly deep clean, and polish.

I generally agree with the 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it' approach. If there is a problem: If you aren't sending it off to a pro, then just do some hot water soaks with dish detergent from time to time,, and if there is still problems sticking/squeaking, use TINY amount of oil. Don't try to pour from the bottle to the razor. Put a tiny bit of oil in a small cup/cap, and use a dropper to put one drop in. There seems to be a split of whether to use mineral oil, or machine oil. You can get machine oil that is used for sewing machines at fabric stores usually. If you are just thinking you need it for maintenance, you don't need it. Keep it clean, rinse it well, let it dry.

Disclaimer, I'm not the font of all wisdom on this site, but I've read a number of threads about the topic, and they all pretty much boil down to the above.

 

[gpjoe]

I don't oil mine, even the one that squeaks.

I tend to do whatever the manufacturer recommends, and I am not aware of Gillette recommending oil of any type. You could argue that there are new-fangled synthetic nano oils that didn't exist back-in-the-day which may be perfectly suitable, but certainly mineral oil was available then, yet never recommended by Gillette.

I've had oil - made for firearms - gum up a clean 1911 pistol sitting in my safe. I took it out after sitting for a while just to re-lube it, and when I cleared it and pulled the trigger to lower the hammer, nothing happened because the "gun oil" had gummed up one of the safety components.

Anyway, like some others have said: if it ain't broke...