1903 Double Ring - Before/After

[DanInFla]

If you have been reading about the double ring i picked up on ebay this week http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137390 here are some pictures. I believe this is a 1903 because it says "pat appld for" on the handle, and the inside tube does not have a date code. i really don't know much about these, and have tried to do some research. Gillette's website (http://www.gillette.com/resource/content_assets/docs/Timeline of Shaving Firsts.pdf) indicates there were only 51 razors sold in 1903!, which if that is true makes this incredibly rare...anyone that knows about this PLEASE chime in!!

onto the pictures (before):

 

[DanInFla]

and here are the after pictures, the goldish tone is from the lights, this thing is ultra bright silver in color!

 

[DanInFla]

and some more:

 

[OneRand]

hell of a job

 

[hypo_style]

Beautiful job!

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

Excellent work! Did you use the baking soda/aluminum foil trick?

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Beautiful.

 

[DanInFla]

Excellent work! Did you use the baking soda/aluminum foil trick?

I tried to. Did two rounds and it helped a little bit. Ended up busting out the dremmel and MAAS. Used the polishing tips and qtips. Still some detail work to go, but I am very happy so far. What a beautiful piece of history.

 

[Oldguy]

If you have been reading about the double ring i picked up on ebay this week http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137390 here are some pictures. I believe this is a 1903 because it says "pat appld for" on the handle, and the inside tube does not have a date code. i really don't know much about these, and have tried to do some research. Gillette's website (http://www.gillette.com/resource/content_assets/docs/Timeline of Shaving Firsts.pdf) indicates there were only 51 razors sold in 1903!, which if that is true makes this incredibly rare...anyone that knows about this PLEASE chime in!!

onto the pictures (before):

It's very possible that your Double Ring and mine as well were produced in 1904. The first 55,000 razors that Gillette made were not serialized and after that the next 25,000 razors that were serialized prior to Nov 5 1904 had the "Patent Appld For" stamp on the handle as well. Of course it still could have been made in 1903. There is no way to know. Of course even 55,000 sets made over 100 years ago is still pretty rare. This info is in the Krumholz book and is mostly pretty accurate but still has errors as we've found out.

Len

 

[Oldguy]

Ended up busting out the dremmel and MAAS. Used the polishing tips and qtips.

I'm sick.

Len

 

[DanInFla]

I'm sick.

Len

Sick that I used a dremmel?

 

[Oldguy]

Sick that I used a dremmel?

Yup. OK Dan here is the deal.

The Double Ring is the first razor made by Gillette in 1903 until some time in 1906. There aren't very many of them left and especially very few of the early ones with no serial number. Many collectors on the forum don't have one and consider the Double Ring the Holy Grail of Gillettes. They are all silver plated and tarnish easily. The baking soda/aluminum foil treatment which converts the black silver oxide back to pure silver was introduced to the forum by AsylumGuido who treated his Double Ring in this way to preserve the silver plating so it can be enjoyed by future generations. I am fortunate to own two Double Rings. One is an early model without a serial number and with the "Pat Appld For" on the handle. It is not in quite as good shape as yours, it has a slightly bent tooth. I paid $175 for it. My second one is in very nice shape in a beautiful original case. I bought it from a forum member for $350 and was very happy to get it. I was looking for one for months. I did not use a polish on either of these razors. I gave them the baking soda treatment to preserve the plating. A really nice Double Ring set with papers and the booklet can cost over $500. The silver plating on these razors is fairly thin and soft. By using Maas and a Dremel a considerable amount of silver was lost. Years of wear were added. Now this razor doesn't belong to me and i really shouldn't care what happens to it, but I'm a student of history and I value the things from the past. I like collecting things old. I have a very large collection of very old Leica cameras and lenses and pocket watches that go back to the Civil War. It is my passion. Sorry.

Len

 

[DanInFla]

Yup. OK Dan here is the deal.

The Double Ring is the first razor made by Gillette in 1903 until some time in 1906. There aren't very many of them left and especially very few of the early ones with no serial number. Many collectors on the forum don't have one and consider the Double Ring the Holy Grail of Gillettes. They are all silver plated and tarnish easily. The baking soda/aluminum foil treatment which converts the black silver oxide back to pure silver was introduced to the forum by AssylumGuido who treated his Double Ring in this way to preserve the silver plating so it can be enjoyed by future generations. I am fortunate to own two Double Rings. One is an early model without a serial number and with the "Pat Appld For" on the handle. It is not in quite as good shape as yours, it has a slightly bent tooth. I paid $175 for it. My second one is in very nice shape in a beautiful original case. I bought it from a forum member for $350 and was very happy to get it. I was looking for one for months. I did not use a polish on either of these razors. I gave them the baking soda treatment to preserve the plating. A really nice Double Ring set with papers and the booklet can cost over $500. The silver plating on these razors is fairly thin and soft. By using Maas and a Dremel a considerable amount of silver was lost. Years of wear were added. Now this razor doesn't belong to me and i really shouldn't care what happens to it, but I'm a student of history and I value the things from the past. I like collecting things old. I have a very large collection of very old Leica cameras and lenses and pocket watches that go back to the Civil War. It is my passion. Sorry.

Len

i understand your point, but i really dont think i did any damage to the piece. i used a dremmel on its lowest setting with a very soft cotton tip for some of the thicker grime, and then inserted half a qtip for the fine details and polishing. these razors are triple silver plated. even if a microscopic amount was removed, there is still plenty of plating and i think it still has its integrity. its not like i will have to do this type of cleaning ever again. a quick soak in baking soda/foil in the future will keep this razor looking like new.

i can appreciate your interest in the preservation, but i think my technique still delivered a fantastic result, and i have used it on other razors as well with equal results. i minimize the time i use the dremmel and use very light pressure.

just my two cents

 

[Oldguy]

Dan. I understand. Sorry about the rant. I just couldn't imagine using a Dremmel on a Double Ring.

Len

 

[DanInFla]

Dan. I understand. Sorry about the rant. I just couldn't imagine using a Dremmel on a Double Ring.

Len

its a gentle tool in the right hands

 

[DanInFla]

Dan. I understand. Sorry about the rant. I just couldn't imagine using a Dremmel on a Double Ring.


roger that.

so back to the original subject...any other resources to get information on this razor that you know of? internet searches pretty much come up empty.

 

[Gruder]

Show off!

(She's a beaut!)

 

[ctakim]

You sir have a cherished piece of history in your fine hands. Treat it with tenderness and care! Many of us have emotional attachments to these razors. Wait until you hear AsylumGuido and Lucky talk about their precious! I have two double rings, neither are Patent appl for, unfortunately.

 

[ControlFreak1]

Nice, real nice.

 

[T Rick]

i understand your point, but i really dont think i did any damage to the piece. i used a dremmel on its lowest setting with a very soft cotton tip for some of the thicker grime, and then inserted half a qtip for the fine details and polishing. these razors are triple silver plated. even if a microscopic amount was removed, there is still plenty of plating and i think it still has its integrity. its not like i will have to do this type of cleaning ever again. a quick soak in baking soda/foil in the future will keep this razor looking like new.

i can appreciate your interest in the preservation, but i think my technique still delivered a fantastic result, and i have used it on other razors as well with equal results. i minimize the time i use the dremmel and use very light pressure.

just my two cents

As I said in your first post on it, you earned that razor. And quite possibly rescued it from the garbage heap (who knows what would have happened if the wrong buyer got it while going for something else in the lot).

That said, as soon as I saw your pics, I was pretty certain you'd done it differently than I would have. But it's your find, and your razor.

As gentle as the Dremel can be, even at it's slowest speed it is at least as "effective" as a very fast working hand. Combine with MAAS, a great metal polish, but far too "effective" for silver, and you've got a recipe for plating removal (huge overkill). I guarantee you removed more than microscopic bits of the silver plate, chances are you removed a substantial percentage of the plating's thickness.

Either way, what's done is done, and it's your razor (which again, I feel you may well have saved from being lost to the world forever). I make these points not to chastise you, but to raise awareness of others reading here to the availability of options, which can preserve these pieces of history that they might make it two centuries and beyond.