Gibbs Adjustable - Aftermarket parts

[EclipseRedRing]

Back with news!

I received the razor today and it looks pretty great and almost unused. Hopefully the pictures shows that.

View attachment 1289496
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View attachment 1289505

As you can see one pretty crucial piece is missing! THE ORIGINAL SPRING

Of course I got pretty bummed about that and furthermore it looks like the "little red dot" is missing too?

Well, now the springs from China definitely don't seem like such a bad idea

You could try something like this to make your own red dot:

 

[Dyllern]

This is a very educational thread. Thanks for all the great information!

Hopefully it can help someone who really wants to begin their 'Gibbs'-adventure

 

[Dyllern]

You could try something like this to make your own red dot:

View attachment 1289518

Yep, that is a possibility or maybe right fitting pearl?

 

[luvmysuper]

Hopefully it can help someone who really wants to begin their 'Gibbs'-adventure

I'm gathering pictures of cases now. Going to try my hand at 3D printing one with blade boxes.

 

[THall]

Back with news!

I received the razor today and it looks pretty great and almost unused. Hopefully the pictures shows that.

View attachment 1289496
View attachment 1289498
View attachment 1289499
View attachment 1289503
View attachment 1289502
View attachment 1289504
View attachment 1289500
View attachment 1289501
View attachment 1289505

As you can see one pretty crucial piece is missing! THE ORIGINAL SPRING

Of course I got pretty bummed about that and furthermore it looks like the "little red dot" is missing too?

Well, now the springs from China definitely don't seem like such a bad idea

The spring thing is unfortunate. They kept it most likely. These razors are getting more rare for purchase and approaching Double Ring availability so you are going to start seeing that more. If it was a flip, possibly they were unaware, but still… You can still shave with it on one setting until your spring arrives.

Anyway, everything else looks great. A Qtip is helpful cleaning old hair and soap out of the tubing of the baseplate. A quick soak of Scrubbing Bubbles will shine everything up and get that soap residue off of the handle.

Congrats!

 

[Dyllern]

I'm gathering pictures of cases now. Going to try my hand at 3D printing one with blade boxes.

That sounds like a very cool project

 

[Dyllern]

The spring thing is unfortunate. They kept it most likely. These razors are getting more rare for purchase and approaching Double Ring availability so you are going to start seeing that more. If it was a flip, possibly they were unaware, but still… You can still shave with it on one setting until your spring arrives.

Anyway, everything else looks great. A Qtip is helpful cleaning old hair and soap out of the tubing of the baseplate. A quick soak of Scrubbing Bubbles will shine everything up and get that soap residue off of the handle.

Congrats!

I highly doubt that this person has kept the original spring. I won't sit and write the whole story down, but the person I bought it from had this razor lying in a box the last 15 years. He acquired the razor from an antique market in Belgium together with a whole lot of other antiques at the time.

He seemed like a really nice person and I did not pay a premium price. I really do believe that it's just unlucky in terms of his knowledge about that razor and the fact that he never used it for shaving himself.

In regards to cleaning I have cleaned it very thoroughly. I think the pictures are fooling you because of the light/angle. Like I said earlier this razor looks like 95% new...

 

[Dyllern]

A pile of "useful" information

I don't know if this is the right place to post the following, but this thread is quickly turning into "the owner of a Gibbs help thread"

I thought to myself that I could at least try investigating on some French forums and maybe find more answers/help and so I did. I quickly found what I believe to be one of the most "used" threads about especially the Nr. 15/17 = Adjustable and especially for French speaking people:

GIBBS Réglable N°17

Messieurs Bonjour, Suite à la récente acquisition dun DE, quelque peu atypique, et peu utilisé sur le forum et nétant pas spécialiste des revues, je me la

www.rasage-traditionnel.com

I spent quite some time translating a whole lot of the answers and found some useful/interesting information at least in my eyes

Historical

The Gibbs 15-17 patent was applied for by Thibaud Gibbs and Co. on 21 July 1934 and published on 22 October 1935. In this patent, Gibbs clearly alludes to "adjustable" razors by simply screwing in the screw, but points out the limitations of this principle: the less the handle is screwed in, the less firmly the blade is tightened. On the Gibbs, the blade tightness remains constant. Gibbs claims to be the first to patent this system, which means that the Hol'Pif, which probably preceded it by a few years, was not patented.

The Gibbs proprietary blade head patent was published on 27 September 1937. Gibbs claims that the offset of the blade alignment points on the edges of the razor head improves alignment accuracy. It can therefore be assumed that all razors not compatible with ordinary blades are contemporary or later than this date.

As for the +/- system, it was patented during the Occupation, on 6 November 1942. The Gibbs 13, 14 and 16 are therefore contemporary or later than this date.

Technical

A 'Gibbs'-collector wrote:

As for the exposure of the blade to each of these marks, it is different...
On the Gibbs I have, I measured precisely the height of the blade (between the comb and the blade) with a set of shims, for each of the graduations. The result is that there can be significant differences from one razor to another!

-Most of them start at 0.60mm on "1", and end at 1.60mm on "6", with a fairly regular 0.20mm step between each graduation and a total gap of 1.00mm from the lowest setting "1" to the highest "6".

-But my most permissive Gibbs starts at 0.25mm (!) on "1" and ends at 1.00mm on "6" (this is the exposure set to N on an "average" Gibbs...)

-Another one starts at 0.80mm on "1" and ends at 1.50mm on "6". It is therefore aggressive at "1" and finishes rather permissive at "6"...

Aftermarket thoughts

On page (25) in 2017 a user named 'Theleme' gives these informations about the original spring:

5 coil spring
length: 14mm
inner diameter 8,5mm
wire diameter: 0,8mm

Shortly after another user named 'Max65' suggests the exact same aftermarket springs that I have linked earlier and on page (32) in 2018 the same user confirms that these springs do indeed work. Let's cross fingers

Both the spring and the "red dot" is missing quite a lot of times when people are buying a 'Gibbs'-adjustable at least according to the French forum. Furthermore the "red dot" is prone to fall off as time goes. Suggestions for replacing the "red dot" is described in this thread:

Remplacer la bille rouge sur la molette d'un Gibbs Réglable

Vous avez perdu la jolie bille rouge de la molette de réglage de votre Gibbs ? Vous avez reçu votre nouveau Gibbs sans la petite bille rouge ? - Voici un peti

www.rasage-traditionnel.com

Either people polish a red perl to the right size for the hole on the adjuster and glue it on or they order something like these:

Acrylic Beads Pearl Imitation Half Round Flatback Red Black Bead Jewelry Making | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Acrylic Beads Pearl Imitation Half Round Flatback Red Black Bead Jewelry Making at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

-the 2mm size should fit and both solutions are pictured in the thread I don't think these two razors are using aftermarket parts, but the solutions described above should work on all models:



Extras

On the French forum they also talk a lot about how to modify the razor blades the most optimal way and there is different solutions and the succes sometimes also depends on the thickness of the individual blades which apparently can vary quite a lot relatively speaking. Nevertheless I saw that this hand punch was suggested more than once:

Hand Punch - Medium Circle (1/8'')

To embellish crafting projects or create confetti. In stainless steel to punch a wide range of materials: paper, plastic, thin leather, thin metal foil, felt and light cardboard… Confetti catcher stores punched shapes to be used as embellishment....

www.fiskars.eu

To wrap it up I give you a good example of why it's a good idea to clean your 'Gibbs'-adjustable if you want to keep it for a long time and also being functional:



I hope someone finds these informations useful and if not then at least I did

Let the 'Gibbs'-journey continue!

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Some people go to a great deal of effort to modify blades to exactly replicate the Gibbs original blades, going as far as constructing specialist jigs. I use Gibbs #14 and #16 razors and I modify my blades with a simple hole punch intended for paper as shown below. This works well and is very easy although I normally spoil about 1 in 10 of the blades during the process and have to discard them.

 

[Dyllern]

Some people go to a great deal of effort to modify blades to exactly replicate the Gibbs original blades, going as far as constructing specialist jigs. I use Gibbs #14 and #16 razors and I modify my blades with a simple hole punch intended for paper as shown below. This works well and is very easy although I normally spoil about 1 in 10 of the blades during the process and have to discard them.

View attachment 1289784

View attachment 1289786

A great example of how that modification can be done in different ways. I guess people in general are trying to achieve the most optimal solution because they want to use "modern" blades with as little extra effort as possible

I will for sure try a simple punch like yours

 

[Tallapoc]

Thank you very much for the information. This is a very nice razor that seems to have created a lot of interest given the homages that recently have appeared.

 

[Dyllern]

IT'S ALIVE IT'S ALIVE IT'S ALIVE

I finally received the SS springs from China today!



They arrived after approximately 3 weeks so I can't complain and especially for the price.

What is even more important is that I think the springs have the optimal measurements and is working properly
Of course I don't have the original one to compare but hopefully some of you who have ordered these springs like me can confirm in the near future!

That is the first mission completed with great succes. Now I must find a solution for the red "dot" if possible

I'll be back!

 

[luvmysuper]

IT'S ALIVE IT'S ALIVE IT'S ALIVE

I finally received the SS springs from China today!

View attachment 1296507View attachment 1296508View attachment 1296509

They arrived after approximately 3 weeks so I can't complain and especially for the price.

What is even more important is that I think the springs have the optimal measurements and is working properly
Of course I don't have the original one to compare but hopefully some of you who have ordered these springs like me can confirm in the near future!

That is the first mission completed with great succes. Now I must find a solution for the red "dot" if possible

I'll be back!

I bought a set of these as "back ups" based on this thread. Looking at the red dot issue as well, just in case.

 

[Dyllern]

I bought a set of these as "back ups" based on this thread. Looking at the red dot issue as well, just in case.

Great! Please keep me updated when you receive the springs and test them and also if you find a good solution for the red "dot"

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

A pile of "useful" information

I don't know if this is the right place to post the following, but this thread is quickly turning into "the owner of a Gibbs help thread"

I thought to myself that I could at least try investigating on some French forums and maybe find more answers/help and so I did. I quickly found what I believe to be one of the most "used" threads about especially the Nr. 15/17 = Adjustable and especially for French speaking people:

GIBBS Réglable N°17

Messieurs Bonjour, Suite à la récente acquisition dun DE, quelque peu atypique, et peu utilisé sur le forum et nétant pas spécialiste des revues, je me la

www.rasage-traditionnel.com

I spent quite some time translating a whole lot of the answers and found some useful/interesting information at least in my eyes

Historical

The Gibbs 15-17 patent was applied for by Thibaud Gibbs and Co. on 21 July 1934 and published on 22 October 1935. In this patent, Gibbs clearly alludes to "adjustable" razors by simply screwing in the screw, but points out the limitations of this principle: the less the handle is screwed in, the less firmly the blade is tightened. On the Gibbs, the blade tightness remains constant. Gibbs claims to be the first to patent this system, which means that the Hol'Pif, which probably preceded it by a few years, was not patented.

The Gibbs proprietary blade head patent was published on 27 September 1937. Gibbs claims that the offset of the blade alignment points on the edges of the razor head improves alignment accuracy. It can therefore be assumed that all razors not compatible with ordinary blades are contemporary or later than this date.

As for the +/- system, it was patented during the Occupation, on 6 November 1942. The Gibbs 13, 14 and 16 are therefore contemporary or later than this date.

Technical

A 'Gibbs'-collector wrote:

As for the exposure of the blade to each of these marks, it is different...
On the Gibbs I have, I measured precisely the height of the blade (between the comb and the blade) with a set of shims, for each of the graduations. The result is that there can be significant differences from one razor to another!

-Most of them start at 0.60mm on "1", and end at 1.60mm on "6", with a fairly regular 0.20mm step between each graduation and a total gap of 1.00mm from the lowest setting "1" to the highest "6".

-But my most permissive Gibbs starts at 0.25mm (!) on "1" and ends at 1.00mm on "6" (this is the exposure set to N on an "average" Gibbs...)

-Another one starts at 0.80mm on "1" and ends at 1.50mm on "6". It is therefore aggressive at "1" and finishes rather permissive at "6"...

Aftermarket thoughts

On page (25) in 2017 a user named 'Theleme' gives these informations about the original spring:

5 coil spring
length: 14mm
inner diameter 8,5mm
wire diameter: 0,8mm

Shortly after another user named 'Max65' suggests the exact same aftermarket springs that I have linked earlier and on page (32) in 2018 the same user confirms that these springs do indeed work. Let's cross fingers

Both the spring and the "red dot" is missing quite a lot of times when people are buying a 'Gibbs'-adjustable at least according to the French forum. Furthermore the "red dot" is prone to fall off as time goes. Suggestions for replacing the "red dot" is described in this thread:

Remplacer la bille rouge sur la molette d'un Gibbs Réglable

Vous avez perdu la jolie bille rouge de la molette de réglage de votre Gibbs ? Vous avez reçu votre nouveau Gibbs sans la petite bille rouge ? - Voici un peti

www.rasage-traditionnel.com

Either people polish a red perl to the right size for the hole on the adjuster and glue it on or they order something like these:

Acrylic Beads Pearl Imitation Half Round Flatback Red Black Bead Jewelry Making | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Acrylic Beads Pearl Imitation Half Round Flatback Red Black Bead Jewelry Making at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

-the 2mm size should fit and both solutions are pictured in the thread I don't think these two razors are using aftermarket parts, but the solutions described above should work on all models:

View attachment 1289764

Extras

On the French forum they also talk a lot about how to modify the razor blades the most optimal way and there is different solutions and the succes sometimes also depends on the thickness of the individual blades which apparently can vary quite a lot relatively speaking. Nevertheless I saw that this hand punch was suggested more than once:

Hand Punch - Medium Circle (1/8'')

To embellish crafting projects or create confetti. In stainless steel to punch a wide range of materials: paper, plastic, thin leather, thin metal foil, felt and light cardboard… Confetti catcher stores punched shapes to be used as embellishment....

www.fiskars.eu

To wrap it up I give you a good example of why it's a good idea to clean your 'Gibbs'-adjustable if you want to keep it for a long time and also being functional:

View attachment 1289763

I hope someone finds these informations useful and if not then at least I did

Let the 'Gibbs'-journey continue!

Resage-Traditionnel is a great wet-shaving site - I view it with Google Chrome, the Chrome translator makes it a breeze to read and enjoy.

 

[Dyllern]

Resage-Traditionnel is a great wet-shaving site - I view it with Google Chrome, the Chrome translator makes it a breeze to read and enjoy.

I refuse to install 'Chrome' on my computer

I think I have been able to translate the most important stuff to get the information available about the 'Gibbs'-razors. If you in the future find new exiting information please do come back and share

 

[luvmysuper]

Great! Please keep me updated when you receive the springs and test them and also if you find a good solution for the red "dot"

Received the razor last night, and the springs fit perfectly. My red dot is present, but I intend to continue that search just in case.

 

[Dyllern]

Received the razor last night, and the springs fit perfectly. My red dot is present, but I intend to continue that search just in case.

Great hearing from you!

It's really nice to know that these superior springs in terms of quality fits just as good as the original ones

Let's keep researching for the best "red dot"-solution

 

[luvmysuper]

Great hearing from you!

It's really nice to know that these superior springs in terms of quality fits just as good as the original ones

Let's keep researching for the best "red dot"-solution

I lucked into a lot of 100 vintage Gibbs blades, about 90% still have the unopened cellophane outer wrapper. I'm going to give one of them a try tomorrow with my Gibbs 210 Nylon brush!
No French shave soap or after shave, so maybe I'll just have a glass of Chateauneuf du Pape after the shave!

 

[Dyllern]

I lucked into a lot of 100 vintage Gibbs blades, about 90% still have the unopened cellophane outer wrapper. I'm going to give one of them a try tomorrow with my Gibbs 210 Nylon brush!
No French shave soap or after shave, so maybe I'll just have a glass of Chateauneuf du Pape after the shave!

HaHa

So classy buddy!

It's really cool that you got that brush and original blades. I received a #66 'Aristocrat' from France today and for some reason he had put some blades from 'Gibbs' inside the package. I'm not complaining

I'm not informed on what kinds of blades 'Gibbs' produced through the years. Were they all proprietary or did they begin production of "normal" DE-blades at some point?

Have you seen this package before?