1975 Black Beauty

[Devonmoonshire]

Granted is is not my Birth Year but I did just win a 1975 Black Beauty Adjustable V-2 for $20.50 plus $4.00 shipping so Hopefully that is a fair price for what I got. It looks to be in pretty good shape overall. I will post up photos once it arrives. This is my very first vintage razor so as long as it works properly I will be very happy with it since it is one of the three types of razors that I know my Grandfather owned. Soon to follow will be the other two as soon as I get more cashflow in the bank. A 1930's Short Comb Bar Handle and a 1960's Era Gillette Slim Adjustable. These two will probably end up setting me back more than $24.50 I am sure.


Is there any Quirks or Maintenance issues I should know about for proper care of this bugger?


So Happy right now.
Nate

 

[SpaceCadet1]

Congrats! Hope you like the black beauty. I don't have one, but I'm looking for an '83 D code BB or SS.

Sounds like you've got a good wish list going. I bet you'll love the SC new when the time comes.

 

[imfallen_angel]

I did a quick comparison of it and my Parker (my go-to) a few years ago.

And if in good shape, yes, that's a pretty good price.

 

[kcb5150]

they can have galvanic corrosion sometimes from all the dissimilar metals, but besides that, they are very sturdy things.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

Congrats! Hope you like the black beauty. I don't have one, but I'm looking for an '83 D code BB or SS.

Sounds like you've got a good wish list going. I bet you'll love the SC new when the time comes.

Thank you and yes I do have a wishlist at least a few razors long. After using the Open Comb Maggard I am sure as it gets that I will love the SC NEW.

I did a quick comparison of it and my Parker (my go-to) a few years ago.

And if in good shape, yes, that's a pretty good price.

Excellent, I was hoping I did not end up bidding too high for it. I saw one somewhere for like 595 bucks but it was brand new still in the package, never been opened at all.

they can have galvanic corrosion sometimes from all the dissimilar metals, but besides that, they are very sturdy things.

Sounds like I might need to invest in some micro zinc anodes to avoid the Galvanic Corrosion. That stuff can be nasty. Hopefully this one will not have that. I am going to do a thorough cleaning though and sanitation soak to make sure it is clean.

Does anyone know if I will need to oil it or if I should even oil it? I know my Merkur Futur instructions say to use a little oil once in a while in the mechanics for the adjustments. If so perhaps what kind of oil I should use.

Thank you everyone for the responses

 

[heysi]

I have a 1983 Black Beauty that my wife gave me in 1990. Other than a routine cleaning, I've never needed to do anything to mine. Just an occasional blast of scrubbing bubbles every few weeks to knock down the soap scum. No need to oil at all. And the corrosion issue was non existent.

Enjoy that Beauty.

 

[JOYCEfromNS]

A 1930's Short Comb Bar Handle and a 1960's Era Gillette Slim Adjustable. These two will probably end up setting me back more than $24.50 I am sure.

So Happy right now.
Nate

Well that depends, if you are patient and look in the wild, $20 or less is not uncommon. If you gotta have it and ebay or Forums is your source than yes you will likely pay more than you did for the Black Beauty of which you did quite well pending on condition. Enjoy

 

[Devonmoonshire]

I have a 1983 Black Beauty that my wife gave me in 1990. Other than a routine cleaning, I've never needed to do anything to mine. Just an occasional blast of scrubbing bubbles every few weeks to knock down the soap scum. No need to oil at all. And the corrosion issue was non existent.

Enjoy that Beauty.

That is excellent news. I know I intend to completely sanitize it for sure since it is from an estate sale. So a Little CLR, an Ultrasonic bath and a good rinse with boiling water should take care of all that.

Well that depends, if you are patient and look in the wild, $20 or less is not uncommon. If you gotta have it and ebay or Forums is your source than yes you will likely pay more than you did for the Black Beauty of which you did quite well pending on condition. Enjoy

I agree, I would much rather find them in the wild, unfortunately I spent about a month searching all over the place here and have yet to find anything even remotely resembling what I am looking for. Been to every Pawn shop, antique store, Goodwill, Salvation Army even gold and coin shops. The closest seems to be updated models at TAOS and the Micro Touch One at the retail stores in the As Seen On TV sections.


Nate

 

[01HDFXD]

I gave away or sold my Gillette adjustables, but IIRC, after you have twisted the knob and the butterfly doors have closed, you have to give the knob an additional app. ¼ turn to lock the head closed.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

I gave away or sold my Gillette adjustables, but IIRC, after you have twisted the knob and the butterfly doors have closed, you have to give the knob an additional app. ¼ turn to lock the head closed.

Also very good information to know as I have never had my hands on one before so it will be somewhat of a learning curve.

Nate

 

[kcb5150]

For whatever reason the partially plastic ones seem more prone to having enough aluminum oxidation to freeze the last quarter turn from time to time.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

For whatever reason the partially plastic ones seem more prone to having enough aluminum oxidation to freeze the last quarter turn from time to time.

I will definitely give mine a thorough check over to make sure all mechanics are moving smoothly and without problems to be sure. I will also give it a thorough inspection to see if I can determine if there are plastic parts anywhere in it as well.

I really love this place, Y'all are some serious razor experts I couldn't possibly thank Y'all enough for all the answers to what I am sure are seriously rookie questions.
Sincerely;
Nate

 

[Birddog]

Wow, you gotta a deal on your razor. I purchased one in good condition for $40. With an Israel Personna blade it shaves wonderfully. Congrats, these are great razors.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

Wow, you gotta a deal on your razor. I purchased one in good condition for $40. With an Israel Personna blade it shaves wonderfully. Congrats, these are great razors.

Thank you very much, now hopefully when it gets here it will function as decently as it looks. Save for a couple of apparent spots on the doors and perhaps a few light areas on the handle from use it looks to be in pretty tip top shape from the photos.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

It looks like it will be here no later than Saturday. So I searched around and read up on some of the cleaning threads. I cannot find anything though as to whether or not I should use CLR on this particular razor. I do not want to ruin the black paint. Is there a certain way that I should clean this model because I do want to give it a very thorough cleaning before using it.

Nate

 

[bberg100]

Mine is a 74, all brass. I ran it through the ultra sound with Barbicide with no ill effects.

I think the 74 and earlier Supers are the pinnacle of Gillette manufacturing. When they started putting some steel and later plastic parts in the SA it was not the same. Their whole corporate philosophy seems to start deteriorating from about that time, the Trac II came out about then and their emphasis shifted towards the cartridge mentality for the better economies around the globe.

 

[01HDFXD]

It looks like it will be here no later than Saturday. So I searched around and read up on some of the cleaning threads. I cannot find anything though as to whether or not I should use CLR on this particular razor. I do not want to ruin the black paint. Is there a certain way that I should clean this model because I do want to give it a very thorough cleaning before using it.

Nate

Soak for a few hours in hot (not boiling) water and dish detergent like Dawn. Rinse. Soak in Scrubbing Bubbles. Rinse. Check it to see how it looks and works. If necessary, repeat, adding some scrubbing with a soft tooth brush.

 

[stoof2010]

Soak for a few hours in hot (not boiling) water and dish detergent like Dawn. Rinse. Soak in Scrubbing Bubbles. Rinse. Check it to see how it looks and works. If necessary, repeat, adding some scrubbing with a soft tooth brush.

When you guys say scrubbing bubbles, are you referring to the foaming aerosol kind or the non aerosol spray?
I have some heavy duty non aerosol scrubbing bubbles that say fantastic I think on it also.

 

[01HDFXD]

I use the aerosol kind that foams up for a while and then settles down to a clear or opaque liquid.

 

[stoof2010]

I just picked up a short SA and received it yesterday along with an F3 (birth year and quarter). Didn't get past scrubbing them up but I'm thinking I'm going to like the short better. Its just a tad longer than my slim but def more head heavy...
The birth year will sit, the short will be used...
Still can't find a Fatboy that won't take a mortgage to buy lol...
Let us know how it works out!!