Fatboy - adjuster stuck past 7?

[yuppiejr]

Hi,

So I recently scored a very low price E1 Fatboy which arrived today. Looks like a daily shaver that ended up in an estate sale straight out of someone's bathroom drawer. The razor and case were covered in soap scum but complete with a worse for wear box and mostly used pack of blue blades. The razor's plating looks to be 100% with a few minor stuffs on the head, black paint is mostly gone on all of the numbers and around the ring just below the adjuster. The TTO is smooth and the doors lock up tight, however when I started the cleaning the adjuster was stuck between 7 and 8... no budging.

I gave it a scrubbing bubbles + toothbrush bath followed by a run through a hot water rinse and soak in 70% alcohol. A quick inspection revealed some persistent stubborn gunk but the adjuster came loose and moved freely from 1-7 with solid clicks at each stop point. It stuck firm past 7 though...

To deal with the remaining gunk and perhaps unstick the adjuster I gave it a couple of boiling water rinses, more toothbrush and finally a touch of mineral oil to make everything silky smooth. The razor looks great but I'm stumped by the stuck adjuster.

Is there a safe way to disassemble and clean the internals of the razor or a product anyone suggests that might break free anything that's survived the boiling water, scrubbing bubbles and alcohol treatment?

Thanks in advance for any help!

-J

 

[amishmotorboat]

Sounds overclocked. No need to disassemble it if this is the case.
Check out some pictures of open fatboys - close up pictures. Try to see if your adjustment plate matches up with them. If yours is overclocked it will look a bit higher than it should. Dialed down to 1, it should be just barely clearing the blade tray.
If you determine that it is overclocked, the fix is simple. Just push in the red spring with a paper clip or pencil tip, and dial it from 1 down in the reverse direction to 9.

 

[yuppiejr]

Thanks for the response, going to add that to my "how to fix vintage razors" library of tips!

Luckily the fix ended up being a lot easier... After some more searching I found a note about trying CLR and after a 3 minute soak and a few twists of the adjuster whatever was gumming up the works broke free, smooth clicks from 1-9.

So now I have a 100% working Fatboy, woo woo. Appreciate the response!

 

[ctakim]

Gosh, I love a happy ending! Hope you enjoy this classic piece of US razor design!

 

[Copierguy]

Glad you got your FatBoy freed up.
I've been shaving with a Fatboy all week and
had forgot how much fun they are.

Enjoy...

 

[yuppiejr]

So I hate to admit newbie ignoramis, but after taking a closer look at my "fixed" Fatboy next to my Slim that the adjustment setting is having no impact on the razor. The dial turns but there is no movement up and down of the two bars under the head on the Fatboy that are clearly moving on the Slim.

Adding insult to injury, I seem to be a broken Fatboy magnet. After what I hoped was going to be a score via an online purchase ($30) I ended up with ANOTHER broken Fatboy - this one with a stuck adjuster AND a "free floating" TTO knob that falls out the bottom (if screwed in tight it holds the doors shut fine, when I unscrew it it just comes free from the bottom of the handle and has to be pushed up to open the doors).

<sigh>

Wondering if I'm better off paying someone to repair these, trading them to someone who does repairs + cash for a working razor or simply pitching them to keep them from ending up on eBay in the hands of another shaving newb. Any suggestions? Currently favoring the last option... grr.

 

[chipchipperson]

you can fix the free floating handle by crimping the ring above the twist handle. I recently fixed a fatboy doing this with a tube cutter and dulling the cutting wheel. worked like a charm. there is a good method on here, just search "broken fatboy".

 

[yuppiejr]

Thanks for the response (and couple of PM's) - I'm looking into the parts for the crimp fix along with following the info on this website:

http://vintagesaws.com/fatboy/fatboy.html

.. just need a wooden dowel to get the head broken loose on the first one. We'll see if I can't end up with at least one working Fatboy in the deal (rolls up sleeves).

 

[shamus]

Hot steam worked wonders for me in freeing up stuck adjusters on Fat Boys and Adjustable razors. I use a special pot to really heat up the razors to get rid of any impacted and heavy grunge that has built up on razors over the years and left to harden. Using a pressure cooker with electric dishwasing powder and generating Hot Steam seemed to always free up any stuck adjusters while melting off any filth and hidden dirt.

Cheers.

 

[yuppiejr]

Hot steam worked wonders for me in freeing up stuck adjusters on Fat Boys and Adjustable razors. I use a special pot to really heat up the razors to get rid of any impacted and heavy grunge that has built up on razors over the years and left to harden. Using a pressure cooker with electric dishwasing powder and generating Hot Steam seemed to always free up any stuck adjusters while melting off any filth and hidden dirt.

Cheers.

Interesting, I don't have access to a pressure cooker but the concept makes sense. I can't believe how much gunk has built up inside of these two Fatboys, the photos from the site I linked above are sadly similar to even the externally "pretty" of the two razors I'm now trying to fix. Seriously, now that I've seen the inside of these two I'm contemplating disassembling and cleaning even the fully 'sanitized' razors I've got in rotation. Makes a guy appreciate the simplicity of the Tech / 3-piece design when it comes to avoiding places for grunge to hide.

I know certain metal finishes are sensitive to the abrasive nature of the silica in dishwashing soap, have you encountered any issues with dulling the polished finish on doors/necks/etc... ?

 

[willy]

I had the same problem once with a Slim Aristocrat that i picked up, it was also stuck on 7 i took a plier and covered the plier with a cloth and gently started turning the adjuster slowly for left to right and it got unlocked i then soaked the razor in baby oil for a day , now its working like a brand new razor

Willy

 

[yuppiejr]

I had the same problem once with a Slim Aristocrat that i picked up, it was also stuck on 7 i took a plier and covered the plier with a cloth and gently started turning the adjuster slowly for left to right and it got unlocked i then soaked the razor in baby oil for a day , now its working like a brand new razor

Willy

Good to know, I've heard a few suggestions to soak a stuck razor in oil so there's obviously something to the logic. Having seen the guts of both razors though I'm still of the opinion that dis assembly and cleaning are in order on any of my vintage adjustable razors.

Now that I've ripped apart both of the Fatboys I'm compelled to see this through. I'm stuck until I can find a wooden dowel of appropriate diameter to pop the head off of the handle and still tracking down the tool suggested to re-crimp the TTO knob in place... I'm confident that these were some pretty typical examples of the kind of "broken" Fatboys that end up on eBay or other sources and are perfectly restorable with patience, a good cleaning and a few specific tools. Perhaps my unintentional foray will encourage some other folks who got stuck with lemon razors to give this a shot.

 

[BBrad]

Quite often an adjustable (either FB or Slim) will get stuck at what ever setting the original owner used. Most people find the setting they like best and leave it there. Assume that the razor could have been in use for 20 years or more . . . and then has been sitting in a drawer ever since 1985 . . .

The adjuster collar only moves up and down to limit the movement of the adjustment plate - the part with the four fingers that the bottom of the blade sits upon.

Every "stuck" collar that I have ever seen was accompanied by a stuck plate as well. If the plate is stuck, there is no ability to adjust. The stuck plate also limits how "high" one can dial the collar.

The razor just needs more soak time and gentle attempts to move the adjuster plate up and down. Disassembly is not the answer - it is not an internal problem!

 

[yuppiejr]

Interesting, just so I'm clear even if I follow the complete disassembly instructions via the VintageSaws page linked above and clean/lube the works I'm still not going to break the adjuster free? From the page above, here's where I should end up tonight when I get home an apply the vice + dowel techniques to diassemble the head/handle components:

I still plan to break down and clean everything completely before reassembly but it would be good to know if there's further cleaning I need to do to get the adjuster working before I reassemble both units. Perhaps it will at least be faster/easier to break the adjuster loose via boiling/steaming if it's been disassembled. Any chance you can point out in a picture the adjuster plate and where it tends to hang up in the razors you've seen?

Thanks for the head's-up!

Quite often an adjustable (either FB or Slim) will get stuck at what ever setting the original owner used. Most people find the setting they like best and leave it there. Assume that the razor could have been in use for 20 years or more . . . and then has been sitting in a drawer ever since 1985 . . .

The adjuster collar only moves up and down to limit the movement of the adjustment plate - the part with the four fingers that the bottom of the blade sits upon.

Every "stuck" collar that I have ever seen was accompanied by a stuck plate as well. If the plate is stuck, there is no ability to adjust. The stuck plate also limits how "high" one can dial the collar.

The razor just needs more soak time and gentle attempts to move the adjuster plate up and down. Disassembly is not the answer - it is not an internal problem!

 

[Chester]

Perhaps my unintentional foray will encourage some other folks who got stuck with lemon razors to give this a shot.

Oh, you may just motivate me to bang away at the three bad little fatboys.
-- Chet

 

[BBrad]

The adjuster plate is the piece on the right-hand side in the picture above. It needs to move freely up and down in order to have any effect on the blade gap.

I have good luck with a simmering soak - I put the razor in a pan of water with a few drops of dish soap. I bring the pan almost to a boil - then turn the heat to low and let it simmer for an hour or so. Rapid boiling is not needed - just time in some very hot water. (Add salt and pepper to taste. )

I use a small screwdriver between the adjuster and the guard plate to give it a gentle "wiggle" - don't pry hard or you will pull the head out of square.

When you disassemble the razor, you will certainly apply enough force to break the seal that the gunk has on the parts, if not the parts themselves. I would try a more conservative approach rather than take it apart. Remember, these were not designed to be serviceable - you could spoil an otherwise recoverable razor.

 

[yuppiejr]

Good point, I have only disassembled the razor as far as can be done without applying significant external force (vice, hammer, etc..) by removing the bottom handle cap. Certainly nothing to be lost by trying the boiling method + light prying of the adjuster plate you've described before I consider the riskier disassembly steps. I actually need to give the more recent of the two acquisitions a boiling water/baking soda + aluminum foil bath to remove some darkening/tarnish on the finish so perhaps I'll start there and then switch to low dishsoap simmer (maybe a pinch of garlic).

Thanks all for the info - hopefully good news to report later after some additional cleaning steps.

 

[BBrad]

Baking soda and aluminum foil trick won't do a thing for a Fat Boy.

That process produces a chemical reaction that turns silver oxide (tarnish) back into silver. It does nothing for a nickel-plated razor.

 

[yuppiejr]

Baking soda and aluminum foil trick won't do a thing for a Fat Boy.

That process produces a chemical reaction that turns silver oxide (tarnish) back into silver. It does nothing for a nickel-plated razor.

I don't know what it is about this process that causes the reaction to make an observable difference in the exterior of nickel plated razors (Tech, SS, Fatboy's I've tested)... It's obvious that something is happening on a chemical level as I made the mistake of dropping an aluminum tech handle into the foil + baking soda boil along with a couple of nickel plated techs and a SS. The nickel coated razors came out noticeably brighter, however the formerly shiny aluminum handle was turned a dark gray (as was the aluminum foil in the pot). Luckily lemon juice and baking soda with a lot of elbow grease will reverse the effect... but there was a clear reaction without any silver present (unless the nickel plating contains a silver alloy perhaps?).

I'm honestly not sure why this works as nickel should be non reactive, perhaps it's simply a layer of mineral buildup on the surface of nickel from prior user's hard water + shaving product that is being attracted to the aluminum rather than tarnish as is the case with a silver razor?

 

[shamus]

Interesting, I don't have access to a pressure cooker but the concept makes sense. I can't believe how much gunk has built up inside of these two Fatboys, the photos from the site I linked above are sadly similar to even the externally "pretty" of the two razors I'm now trying to fix. Seriously, now that I've seen the inside of these two I'm contemplating disassembling and cleaning even the fully 'sanitized' razors I've got in rotation. Makes a guy appreciate the simplicity of the Tech / 3-piece design when it comes to avoiding places for grunge to hide.

I know certain metal finishes are sensitive to the abrasive nature of the silica in dishwashing soap, have you encountered any issues with dulling the polished finish on doors/necks/etc... ?

I have never had an issue with finish dulling at all with the Cascade electric dishwaher powder in the pressure cooker. In fact, just the opposite occurs. The razors come out sparkling clean and all the filth and dirt is left floating in the water. Just hit the razor with a soft toothbrush with Bon Ami cleanser, rinse and then apply a few drops of Lube 1 down the shaft from the open doors and your done.

Cheers