eBay find?

[johnmrson]

I was trawling through eBay and I'm sure alot of people here do looking for good vintage razors for a decent price I came across this.

Now I've never seen one before but it looked reasonably old. Someone had asked the seller if there was a serial number on it and the seller provided e75?554. I had a look in the wiki and it seems that it could be a 1918 model. It looks pretty tarnished but from what I understand some of these old razors were silver plated. Is that right? If that's the case, hopefully it will come up alright with a good clean. I paid UK4.45 pounds for it so hopefully I've done OK.

 

[82R100]

That looks very much to me like tarnished silver plating, so I'd say you've done quite well.

Be sure to post back after you've got it in hand.

- Chris

 

[luvmysuper]

I was trawling through eBay and I'm sure alot of people here do looking for good vintage razors for a decent price I can across this.

Now I've never seen one before but it looked reasonably old. Someone had asked the seller if there was a serial number on it and the seller provided e75?554. I had a look in the wiki and it seems that it could be a 1918 model. It looks pretty tarnished but from what I understand some of these old razors were silver plated. Is that right? If that's the case, hopefully it will come up alright with a good clean. I paid UK4.45 pounds for it so hopefully I've done OK.

I'd have to say you did quite well for that price. They do indeed shine up quite well if the plating isn't worn off, and even if it is, at that price you got a steal.

 

[Dustinl]

That is going to polish up nicely! Nice score!


DL

 

[TwelveBravo]

I picked up this one yesterday and gave it a good polish. It was as tarnished as yours if not more so. It cleaned up quite nicely. Mine is from 1915 and with the help of the experts here is an "old type" pocket edition. I apologize for my lack of photography skills. Nice find.

 

[johnmrson]

I picked up this one yesterday and gave it a good polish. It was as tarnished as yours if not more so. It cleaned up quite nicely. Mine is from 1915 and with the help of the experts here is an "old type" pocket edition. I apologize for my lack of photography skills. Nice find.

Wow. That is a very nice razor. If mine comes up a fraction of how yours has, I'll be very happy indeed. Can I ask what you used to clean it?

 

[TwelveBravo]

Wow. That is a very nice razor. If mine comes up a fraction of how yours has, I'll be very happy indeed. Can I ask what you used to clean it?

I sprayed it with Scrubbing Bubbles and allowed to soak for a few minutes. I began by scrubbing with a soft tooth brush. I then rinsed in warm water and dried. When completely dry I applied some Mr. Metal ( a silver safe metal polish) as per the instructions on the polish. Rinsed with warm water, dried, and buffed with a micro-fiber cloth. Good luck to you .

Rick

 

[johnmrson]

Can I ask what Scrubbing Bubbles is? It's not something we have in Australia?

 

[luvmysuper]

Can I ask what Scrubbing Bubbles is? It's not something we have in Australia?

Do you have this stuff?
It is a liquid. DO NOT USE a powder type.

 

[TwelveBravo]

Can I ask what Scrubbing Bubbles is? It's not something we have in Australia?

Sorry about that. Scrubbing Bubbles is a foaming, non-bleach, bathroom cleaner and soap scum remover.

 

[pauls51]

It's amazing how well a razor will come up with a little elbow grease... Even better when you paid little for the razor.!

 

[johnmrson]

We don't have either of those brands in Australia but we obviously do have similar products. We have a really good one called Shower Power which is an excellent bathroom cleaner and good for getting rid of soap scum.

I'll get some and try that. Many thanks.

 

[TwelveBravo]

We don't have either of those brands in Australia but we obviously do have similar products. We have a really good one called Shower Power which is an excellent bathroom cleaner and good for getting rid of soap scum.

I'll get some and try that. Many thanks.

Just make sure it does not contain chlorine bleach, as this can damage the finish of some razors.

 

[thirdeye]

Great find sir,,,Enjoy!!!

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Go very gently when using metal polish on your razors. And as a rule, please, don't use metal polish on your gold plated ones. The plate if very thin and the protective lacquer will strip right off, closely followed by the gold plating. The Silver Old Type above, will shine up beautifully, just go easy. And enjoy it! Congratulations.

 

[T Rick]

(Obviously some others have responded while I was writing this ).

Scrubbing Bubbles is a bathroom cleaner, it is sprayed on and foams up, real good for soap scum. Also disinfects well, as it contains the same anti-pathogen that Brabicide does.

Your razor is an Old Type, this one being what is commonly known around these parts as a Single Ring. It followed what we now call the Old Type Double Ring (Double Ring introduced in small numbers in 1903, switching to Single Ring around 1905/1906). These were generally triple silver plated (some were done in gold, but early ones don't seem to be seen that often). Model was made up until around 1929, when the "New" replaced it for 1930 ("New Improved" was introduced in 1921, but this model continued on).

It originally used the 3 hole blades, but will work just fine with the modern double edge blades commonly available (these were introduced in 1930 with the "New", Gillette's prior to that used the 3 hole blades).

For cleaning these, I prefer to begin with a water soak, followed with a spray of Scrubbing Bubbles and a brush to sanitize/loosen the gunk if any. I use Q Tips and Scrubbing Bubbles to get the inside of the handle, neck and retaining nut clean (these can all be quite nasty). I then soak a short time in water again to neutralize the Scrubbing Bubbles (unsure if nec., but it seems wise).

Then I go to the baking soda/boiling water/aluminum foil treatment, as outlined by AsylumGuido in the 13th post in this Bulldog Thread. Here's an article that explains more of why it's desirable (preserves the silver plating) and how and why it works. That usually gets most of it (on one that dark I usually end up with 4-5 treatments), but I'll often finish up with a very light polish with a mild silver cream (silver creams/polishes are abrasive and do remove some of the silver, so a mild one and a light touch are suggested). I use Wrights Silver cream with good results.

I really like the Double and Single Rings, they've become my favorite both to admire and to shave with. Here's a pic that shows the majority of mine, there are a few not shown though. I did leave some with varying degrees of tarnish (no treatment w/baking soda/aluminum foil), as I think the patina (natural aging, tarnished look) looks great on some. But others in this pic were as dark as or darker than yours. The method described above is what I used to make them shine like this.

This dark one above is also one of the shiny ones below (right side)

 

[DSB]

Wow, nice collection!

 

[mkevenson]

And I feel like a king with ONE double ring!

Very nice collection ,sir.

 

[ctakim]

And I feel like a king with ONE double ring!

Very nice collection ,sir.

I'm in the same boat as you!! But glad to have at least one!!

 

[T Rick]

I AM very lucky to have multiple DR's. The reason behind it? The pics I saw of gleaming silver Double Rings on this site. But when my first one arrived, it had a hard earned gunmetal gray patina that I just didn't have the heart to polish away. I've learned that some of these silver razors look just fantastic the way they've aged. Others just look rather grungy. So those are the ones I like to make shine! Naturally, I felt compelled to seek one to return to it's original brilliance. Then there was the empty DR case that needed filling... and viola! .