I now own two pre-war Techs. Both replated. One (call it Tech A) with Rhodium by Hibco and one (Tech B) with Gun-kote by Delta Echo. The only difference that I can find between them (visually, as I have no calipers or feeler gauges) is that Tech A has "PAT. NOS. ON PACKAGE" inside the indented diamond on the top of the base plate and Tech B has slight ridging on the safety bars on the base plate. Tech B is the easiest, friendliest, safest DE I've ever used. Tech A is... less friendly. I feel like I have to be very careful when using it or I end up with a bunch of nicks. My first thought was that I had a bad blade, but when I swapped the blade to Tech B, I got the same safe, easy shave as ever. Any thoughts?
A pre-war Tech conundrum
- Thread starter Maven454
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No clue. Sounds like negative shaving karma. Maybe Tech A is cursed.
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- #3
Kind of frustrating. I had Tech B first, loved it, and wanted a spare. Now I don't know if Tech A is normal for a pre-war Tech or Tech B is normal for a pre-war Tech. Not sure I want to spend money on a third, when it might end up being exactly like Tech A instead of Tech B. I could always go to post-war Techs, but I find them to have a much more limited shaving angle than Tech B.
I have both and tried A first and got one nick the first two times of use. After that I was more aware of the angle and had no nicks from then on. So angle, angle and a great close shave........
Tolerance issues maybe... Blade gaps range from about .020" to .027" on the prewar Tech. They probably have different blade gaps. I've had several with different blade gaps.
Strange, all my Techs shave very similar. I think I would look at the cap and see if one of the corners is bent or has a bur causing the blade to warp. Do both sides feel the same, or is it just one side that shaves bad?
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- #10
I can't find any difference or defects. Both sides of Tech A seem to shave very similarly.
My gun-kote slim shaves better than my user grade slim.. Seems like the gun-kote head glides easier through/over the lather - better coefficient of friction maybe..
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- #12
I'd be more likely to think that was the cause, except that I have two Flare Tips, one '56 and one '59, one in Gun-kote and one in gold, and they both shave the same.
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- #13
I'll post some pics tomorrow. At the moment my camera gear is packed up.
I am inclined to agree with Troy- I have three Pre-War Techs, and am preparing two nickel plated ones for Cap to take a second look at, and for Chris to re-plate. At first I did not see the cap damage on the corners, which I have now removed. A corner of each had some edge upturning which I have carefully repaired and did not notice until I had a more through examination. The caps are straight as an arrow and have no tolerance or gapping problems. The head pieces with their triangular lather slots had no problems whatsoever. These were pressed to produce their various indentations, and then shaped and sized on a cutting brake, or perhaps the die was sized and the shape produced when pressed in a one-step operation, which is probably the case, given the vast numbers produced. The irregularities were then removed, which were higher, almost microscopic pieces of metal that remained on the ends and lather slots for the most part. Rarely will the head be a problem, as they are very robust. The third area of concern is with the threads on the cap post which screws onto the handle. Examine the threads closely to see if they are worn, which produces a sloppy fit to the handle. Then do the same for the handle end, as these were often dropped and dented. Remember- these were the everyman razor, to use a Tudor English and John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress term. They were made in vast quantities, and sold for forty-nine cents with a box of Blue Blades. The head and cap design was also the basis of the Contract Tech, supplied to US servicemen in WWII. Arguably, the Pre-War Fat Handle Tech was Gillette's best shaving razor- well balanced and mild. Yours should, without question, be the same. Unless you have experience in the repairs I mention- do not attempt them yourself! Captain Murphy will make them right! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
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Nice. That sounds more likely @mgbbrown . Thanks! Never thought about having to have a Tech worked on by the Captain, but now you've got me thinking.. 
Cap actually does quite a few, but his specialty is the 195 Adjustable and of course Super Speeds. Because Fat Handle and Ball End Techs were made in such large numbers by Gillette, they found their way into use by every hobo, cowboy, rail rider, CCC worker, logger, and just about any individual with temporary work and without a permanent roof over their head during the late Depression, and were carried overseas in many a footlocker during the war. The handles too were often abused, and dropped into a mug or glass on their end without a second thought. In fact, the thread end on both of the handles I am preparing were fine, as they probably remained attached to the head, but the bottom end was quite dented from its forceful placement into a cup. Caps also wear along the ends of the razor blade positioning bars, and on each corner as I mentioned earlier. I am still working on a viable way to repair the center safety bar on my Techs. This involves using a very small rectangular block and a 2000 grit sandpaper- nothing coarser, followed by polishing with Mother's Polish. I think a chopstick end may make the perfect repair tool for this. After all- man is indeed a toolmaker. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
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- #18
On further testing, one side of Tech A is slightly harsher than the other.
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- #19
From what I can see in your pics, everything looks OK. I would take a good look at both sides with the blade installed. See if anything looks warped or uneven.
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