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Gold Tone Gillette Tech 46-50 Ball End Found On Etsy

Hello DE enthusiasts! My foray into proper wet shaving began in January with straights. Due to need of traveling got a Schöne (Fatip Grande rebrand) DE open comb and love shaving with my DE.....so been poking around looking to snipe a nice vintage Gillette DE razor.....and found what looks like a 46-50 no date code gold tone ball end Tech, and it looks cherry!

The seller described the item as unused but containing one of the original Gillette blades still loaded.....end cap image from original post not very detailed so asked for some close ups....looks like owner gave couple swipes on the face and threw it back in the box.... check the pics first two from original listing:

Etsy_GilletteTech_GoldNoDate1.jpg Etsy_GilletteTech_GoldNoDate2.jpg

OK, at this point using various resources on dating...it looks like 46-50 based on the razor blade paper (white-black with red lettering). I did not ask the seller to disassemble to check for a date code....they listed as 1950s era Gillette...now for the awesomeness of the cap close ups!
Etsy_GilletteTech_GoldNoDate3.jpg Etsy_GilletteTech_GoldNoDate4.jpg

Except for a couple of the Gillette revamps listing on Razor Emporium I have not ever seen a listing for a vintage razor looking this clean....post estimates in my box this Friday. I can't wait to unpack and begin cleaning and disinfecting, and I fully intend to shave with this! My open comb Schöne can be a bit aggressive on daily, but is the Boss on a 2-day beard. Hoping the closed bar of the Tech delivers that sweet daily gentleness missing on the open comb....woo hoo! Ordered up some Gillette Blue from Russia via Amazon. I am running Feather Hi Stainless in the Schöne which may contribute to some of the sharp aggressive shaves....will try both the Feather and Gillette blades out....man I can't wait, almost like being 7 yrs old at Christmas Eve....

BTW, if anyone is interested....the selling price was a whopping $15 plus post! I think I should shave with it and then go buy a Power Ball

Ciao, Mario
 
Thats nice! A Feather blade in that razor is a very nice shave.

+1. Congrats. What a classic. If you find the Schone a bit aggressive as a daily driver, that Tech might be perfect to alternate days with. Where else can you get a useful and beautiful antique in original packaging for $15? Report back on the shave once you try it. I'd be interested to hear how you like it.
 
Razor arrived. It is as sweet as the photos suggested! It cleaned up easily, sanitized...interestingly the blade loaded to it is a modern Schick, not one of the NOS Gillette in the wrapping. The good part of tonight ends there :001_07:

I mostly cleaned up with hot water and soap, and I like to gently polish and clean with a toothbrush and some toothpaste.....then I got out the Nevr Dull, that is when I created my new "two-tone" 1946-50 ball end Tech :117:

Was polishing on the end cap and saw some color shift and thought I was breaking through some years of oxidation or patina.....when I was done it was clear I had just succeeded (I think) in polishing the gold plating away :(

Well - it is still a fine shaving instrument, and I am sad the folks at Gillette do not make these any longer.....was thinking as I read on the packaging of my Gillette razors (made in Russia) maybe President Trump could sign an EO for Gillette to restore production to the U.S......and if they have to make the blades here again.....then maybe they might take the old tooling out of storage to turn on a line making some razors too??

Any ideas on restoring gold plating? The underneath metal is super shiny...so I am really not sure if I really did remove gold plating or a thick oxidized patina....but I am stopping where I am at and do no more harm....time to shave! :a14:
 
OK, I am in Idaho....looks like there is a good plating company in Salt Lake in UT. Will send them some pics and ask for a quote.

Now for the important update: the shave. I loaded a Gillette Silver Blue and notice the blade alignment is very well controlled by the design of the head. The Schöne has virtually no alignment control compared to the Gillette...the Tech rocks for blade control and alignment. The shave is very mild, the learning curve for anyone trying out a DE razor would be virtually nothing. Even with good pressure there is really no bite. The blade exposure of the cap is very little compared to the open comb Schöne...so I think it is not the closed comb or open comb that drives how aggressive a shave, but the blade exposure. Well, it was a very easy smooth no nick, no irritation, two pass shave.

This will easily take the spot of my daily shaver. However, two-tone doesn't look correct. So I will seek a replating of at least the cap, and also investigate all three pieces in the quote request. Really really would be cool if Gillette would put these back in production! As mech engineer, the 3-piece is really probably best design for a DE razor. TTO is too many moving parts and probably much more difficult to keep clean....and the upgrade for blade alignment is very impressive. If this razor was offered today I would gladly spend good money to purchase new off the shelf. Now where is that link for writing a letter to Mr. Trump? :001_005:
 
Thats a pretty awesome find. If you really want it back to pristine, like-new condition, you could send it out to Razor Emporium and they could fully restore it but it will shave just fine the way it is.
Ive had a couple Techs of a similar vintage and theyre good shavers, theyre just really, really mild. They actually shave a lot like a Feather AS-D2 because the Feather's head is pretty much a clone of the Tech.
 
The blade exposure of the cap is very little compared to the open comb Schöne...so I think it is not the closed comb or open comb that drives how aggressive a shave, but the blade exposure.

An open comb "typically" will be more efficient than a safety bar razor because your skin will sink between the comb teeth allowing the blade to cut closer. Adding blade exposure increases efficiency more!
 
Nice score. I have a 'Made in England' 46-50 ball end tech, in fact I used it tonight. Great razors when using sharper blades (I like Astra SP in mind).
 
Well, my RFQ via email saw no love....will have to phone to get something going.

Took a 2nd shave and went 3 pass with the Gillette blade still loaded....finally dug in little on the chin to get a tiny weeper ATG on the 3rd pass. No big deal. Tried a Feather blade on 3rd shave, this morning, it is sharper and can feel it. However, I noticed the allowed variation in the form factor does not take advantage of Gillette head design to lock the blade in. What I mean is the blade wiggled since it did not lock to the corner tabs on the underside of the cap. The centering bar during the handle tightening straightened the blade enough it did not need manual alignment.

So, Gillette blade from Russia made yesterday loads perfectly to a razor from yesteryear! My next experiment is to load a Gillette blade to the Schöne to see if it will cool down the open comb a little....

For the plating if I stumble across a thread or youtube where someone has replated their own razor and will stand by the kit and the durability of the results....and yes @Badgerstate36 the Razor Emporium service did cross my mind already....the razor is so pristine I am kicking myself I did not just do a mild soap clean and just stop.....I am not on a ship in the Navy polishing brass....but my chrome tipped exhaust pipe on the car needs some shining!
 
OK, so I just queried the boards and looks like RazorPlate and some very happy BST members for their services....and the cost to replate 24k is honestly about same price of cheapest electrolytic DIY kit I could find online....so that is the best kind of price! Looks like it is time to go buy a shipping box and submit an order...some threads of actual results are quite impressive: NEW LC Replate: Chris Evatt Does it Again

Love discussion boards! Have membership on one for each brand/model of car I own and self-maintain....and could not be happier with B&B and my new hobby of wet shaving!
 
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