GEM MicroMatic OC disassembly

[Charun]

So, i read that it's impossible to take this thing apart without breaking it. Well, i received my first MM today, and about two hours later i'm at this point:

As far as i can tell, nothing is broken or missing. Next step is to clean all the parts, maybe get them plated and put that back together.

Edit. Can't see what the fuss is about; seems pretty basic design, but very sturdy.

 

[Roderick]

Good job. You should do step by step directions with photos.

 

[spidey9]

"Impossible" is a dangerous word to use, especially around here. Good job.

I too would love to see/hear more details, particularly the first few steps and the degree of difficulty.

--Bob

 

[buttonbox]

Good job. You should do step by step directions with photos.

Definitely. I have a couple of MMs that I'd like to give thorough cleaning and refurbishing but have been too afraid of the possibility of damage. If some can break, I'll be the one to do it.[emoji17]

 

[Charun]

Thanks guys.
I'll do a detailed writeup of the process with pictures when i get some spare time, and have successfully reassemled it (don't want people to take their MM's apart before confirming they can be put back to working order).
Naturally there's always a possibility to break something when taking apart an item that is not designed to do so, but like i said, it is quite sturdy.
I figured since they were mass produced in the 30's(?), they can't be that tough to figure out.

Tools used; small flat head screwdriver, vice, hammer, and 2 different sized punches.

I'd say it isn't any more difficult to do than taking apart say a Gillette TTO or adjustable.

 

[BSAGuy]

Well done. Looking forward to seeing more complete tutorial. A service to the community for sure.

 

[SciTX]

dude....that is awesome...as I've said before, I'm continuously amazed by the ingenuity and talent of the B&B members....along with the others, I'd love to see in more detail how you did this...well done!!

 

[Charun]

Hi guys.
Sorry it's been a while, been way too busy with "normal life" to do anything to this since last time. Now i got some "extra time" (not really if you ask my wifey ) and got it back together, and it seems to work at least as well as it did before this operation, and the blade sits snugly in the head - even tho the small stoppers on the edges of the comb are gone. Still have to see how the test shave goes, but that problem isn't really related to the matter at hand, since it was that way to start with.
I took a load of pics of the process, and will have to edit them and do a proper write-up later today.

The assembly was pretty simple, but there are some steps that take a little more attentiveness.

All in all i'm very pleased to the results, and can happily declare the resilient myth that "GEM's can't be taken apart and put back together to a working order" laid to rest.

 

[Charun]

the blade sits snugly in the head - even tho the small stoppers on the edges of the comb are gone.

Have to take this back. Played around with it, and the blade goes too far when i twist the lid all the way.
Will have to try and fix it before any shaving can occur. Got an idea for that already, but have to see if the brass can take it.

 

[Charun]

OK, here goes. First i'd like to state that i will not take any responsibility if you break the razor you are working! These are the steps i took, and had no issue with the razor afterwords, but there's always a possibility to damage something.

Tools i used:
Hammer
Punches
2 small flat head screwdrivers
Vice with rubber jaw pads (do not use an un-padded vice!)
Pliers


First thing you need to do is take the lid off. Look at the hinges from the under side, and you should see a thin washer-looking metal part on both sides between the deck and the lid. On one side this part is pressed to the rod that moves as the TTO is twisted, and on the other side it's loose. I found it's easier to pry the hinge out of the hole in the lid on the side that is loose.
On my razor it was the one on left when looking at the razor blade side facing me, but i can't be sure it will be the case on all MM's.

Open the TTO slightly, so that the lid is a little open. Next you want to take a very small flat head screwdriver, and pry the lid from the side that has the loose hinge so that the hinge pin comes out of the hole. You might want to help this by pressing the pin with a small enough punch as you pry the lid. Now the lid should come off nicely.

If you can't get it this way, you may want to try to stick the screwdriver between the hinge and lid from the inside if you can.

Now your razor should look something like this:

Next step is to take the deck off the handle. I did this by sitting the razor in an open vice, so that the deck is supported from the under side as close to the handle, without the handle actually touching the vice. Take a punch that is smaller than the squares you can see in the former picture - a double headed square punch just a tad smaller that those on the razor would be idea, but i didn't have any, and used a regular round one witch is why you can see the round dents in the razor.
Open the TTO completely, to take most of the suspension off the spring inside the handle. Gently start tapping those squares with a hammer and punch, switching sides frequently, and you'll see the handle starting to come off.
If you want to minimize any marks on your razor you might want to do this another way; put the razor in the vice upside down, so that you can access the bottom of the deck. There's two dents on the deck either side of the handle. You might be able to get the deck off by tapping on them in turns with a punch, but IMO there's a greater risk of bending the deck by doing so.


Be careful not to lose these small parts inside the handle that open and close the lid when twisting the TTO! Big white towel under the razor works nicely.
There's some tension in the spring, so be careful it doesn't go flying.

Now the deck should be off, and look something like this:

Here you can also see the loose hinge better. Make note witch way the rod is, so you can put it back the same way - don't know if it matters, but better safe than sorry.
Now you can pull the rod connecting the hinges out.

Next well take out the TTO knob from the handle. This is done by opening the locking ring in the handle:

You'll want to twist the TTO knob to closed position, so that the rod inside the handle rises up, and the locking ring should move freely. Best tool to open this type of locking ring is small "squeeze to open" needle nose pliers, witch i didn't have, but i managed just fine with two small flat head screw drivers, that fitted in the opening on the ring and pried the ring open.
The ring is brass, so it is very easy to bend.

Now you can screw the knob out of the handle, and you can go about cleaning, plating, or whatever you'd like to do to it.

Here's all the parts, so you can make sure you haven't lost anything. Especially the small ball headed spring guide is easy lose.

Assembly is practically just going in the opposite direction;
Screw the TTO knob back, put the locking ring in the handle, and squeeze it in the groove in the TTO rod. You don't need to get it really tight, as the inside of the handle is shaped like a funnel, and as you open the TTO all the way it will tighten the locking ring around the rod.
Slide the hinge mechanism rod back to the deck the way you took it out.
Next you'll want to set the handle in a vice so that the plane on witch the deck sits is horizontal (the handle on a slight angle in the vice), and make sure that the TTO is opened all the way. Put the spring loaded mechanism back to the handle and place the deck in the correct place making sure it's on straight!
Now you need to put the deck back on the handle. I used pliers and a hammer for this, but a hydraulic press would work way better if you have access to one.
Place the pliers on the deck, so that it sits flat (you might want to use tape on the pliers to avoid any marks) and the hole in the pliers is around the blade alignment bump in the middle of the deck. Gently tap the pliers with the hammer so the deck starts going down.

Before tapping it all the way, make sure that all the parts in the handle are still in the right place, and that the hinge mechanism in the deck is at this position:

Otherwise it wont work correctly, and will wobble when the lid is open!
If the deck won't sit tight, you'll want to tap the square pins with a punch when the deck is in place to make them expand and take hold of the deck (kind of like peening the pins on a straight razor). When tapping go around the edges of the pins, so that the punch hits both the pins and the deck so it goes all the way down to it's plane. Do this while the razor is still on the vice.


Twist the TTO so that the hinges point up from the deck. Insert the loose hinge in it's place and put the lid on so that the hinge pin is in it's hole, pry the lid over the other pin with a screwdriver and slide the pin in the hole.

That should be it!
Hope my ramblings made sense, English isn't my first language.

 

[Charun]

Quick fix on the stoppers:

Does this blade exposure look right, or is it too far back?

 

[garyg]

Great pictures and description! As to the question about the blade stops, it does look like the blade's exposure has been shortened up some. How it shaves is another matter for further testing

 

[global_dev]

nice job, is the quick fix just a cut out on the ends?

 

[Charun]

Great pictures and description! As to the question about the blade stops, it does look like the blade's exposure has been shortened up some. How it shaves is another matter for further testing

Thanks.
It's easy to make the blade come out more; just need to file some more brass. Making the blade sit further from the edge is harder, so i went with what i felt was safe.
I didn't find any good reference as to how far the blade should go, so i just eyeballed it. Tried dry, and it cuts hair, but i guess i'll have to give it a test shave.
Just really wish i'd have another for comparison.

nice job, is the quick fix just a cut out on the ends?

Thanks.
I "fixed" the stoppers by bending the ends upwards, and filed them so they're flat with the deck and the stoppers will catch the blade. I think you can see if you compare the deck on the guide to my latest pictures.

Luckily brass is very soft.

 

[global_dev]

i wasnt sure if it was bent. nuce job!

i knew from initial picture they were missing, and I remember my first shave without them and "enjoying" the exposed corners.

 

[garyg]

Thanks.
Just really wish i'd have another for comparison.

Here's a comparitor for you ..

 

[Charun]

Here's a comparitor for you ..
View attachment 639540

Great! Thank you.

 

[santamariasteve]

Interesting. And thank you. Um, what do you do in the real world?

SR

 

[matwho]

I picked up 2 of those today along with 2 Ever-Readys, 2 Valets, and 1 Treet at a flea market. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with them.

 

[pbrmhl]

I picked up 2 of those today along with 2 Ever-Readys, 2 Valets, and 1 Treet at a flea market. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with them.

In the interest of science, please send one to [MENTION=104525]Charun[/MENTION]! Awesome thread.