New to me NEW and question on plating

[srm_92000]

Hi all,
Just picked up this from an auction site-

Was listed as a razor blade holder so I think I got it fairly cheap. Cleaned up nice


So I think this is a New long comb with US style head. It has Patent 133963 and Other patents pending on the handle.
BUT - With all the tarnish I'm assuming this is just brass but read somewhere that Gillette always plated all their razors.
It took a fair bit of cleaning to get it looking respectable and there is (and was) no sign of it ever having been plated. So I was just wondering if any of the English ones were made without plating?

 

[MacDaddy]

You've got the ID spot on there. It would have been gold-plated originally, but the NEWs were originally done with an incredibly thin layer of gold -- more like a wash than proper plating -- protected by a layer of lacquer over top. If the lacquer goes the gold usually follows quickly behind. You can sometimes even rub it off just with your fingers.

No reason it wouldn't be an excellent shaver, though. If you leave it "naked" it will start to darken as it oxidizes. If that bugs you, you may want to protect it either with a new layer of lacquer, like a brass instrument, or by having it replated.

 

[StuMcB]

Nice score, your right in that it's a Brit NEW long comb (LC)with a ball end handle. Some say these are milder than the short comb(SC). As for plating sorry I cant help you there. My NEW (SC) is as we say, naked, it has no plating at all, you copper and brass.

 

[redbike]

You may be better off without the plating; you won't worry about it fading.

 

[srm_92000]

Thanks for the quick info all, can't wait to try it.
It's got the normal (but very fine) cracks both ends of the handle so I'm going to sort that out first though.
Thanks again.

 

[lordjohn]

I have a couple of these. I got a high polish with Autosol then used lacquer.

 

[mcdidher]

The NEW is a fantastic razor. I had one that still had some plating on it, but it came right off when I started cleaning it up. I think it actually looks better with no plating than with spotty plating.

 

[RKG]

The brass cap looks nice. Much nicer looking and easier to maintain than the copper caps, which is what I have.

 

[azscoob]

The brass cap looks nice. Much nicer looking and easier to maintain than the copper caps, which is what I have.

How can you tell a brass from a copper cap when it's still wearing the shoddy plating?

i just picked up a nice straight LT NEW to use for parts to better my bent tooth unit I currently use.

 

[jansob]

Shave with it for a while, and if it becomes annoying to keep shiny, contact onotoman here at B&B, he's in the UK and does fine work at a good price. If it stay tarnish-free fairly easily, enjoy the patina. Personally I think it's aged beautifully.