Gillette Slim restauration/cleaning

[dullhead]

Hi,

for a very reasonable price minutes before I just bought a Gillette Slim J2 from a seller at www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de
("Kleinanzeige" ist german for "classified advertising"). It was just a lucky
coincedence, which I never hoped to encounter before. Especially when I think of the high or even astronomically high prices for Gillette razors here in Germany.
Ebay-Kleinanzeigen is not an auction but a sell-and-buy version of Ebay.

Now I have some questions:
Are there any things, for which I need to check or which I need to maintain at first, when I get the Gillette Slim?
Is there any exploded view of all inner parts of the Gillette Slim available?
Is there some kind of "service manual"?
How can I safely (from the razors point of view) disinfect the razor from the traces of previous owners?
How can I maintain the Gillette Slim?
In case of I need to get access to the inner parts:
As far as I know, the "screw" at the end of the handle is no screw, but something crimped on something else.
Is it possible for a technical oriented person with a limited toolset to "uncrimp" this "screw", dissamble the Gillette Slim,
fix what needs to be fixed, and reassemble the whole thing in a way, that there is no difference to the original one?
Razor emporium suggests a product called "Flitz" to clean the nickel plating. "Flitz" is unknown to me and I think it
is not available here. What is it? To what product is this comparable?

Sorry for that many questions - I am just a little overwhelmed from the lucky coincedence...sorry...

 

[romsitsa]

Hello, you want to clean and disinfect it. Cleaning depends on how the razor was previously treated, can range from diswashing liquid to calc remover.
For disinfecting use anything you would normally use (for knife, for eg.).
Things to look for:
does the blade sit straight, do the doors open, does the adjuster turn and actually adjust the gap, is the last quarter turn present
There is a crimped on disc at the bottom, I use a Gillette old type tube as it has the perfect diameter. Place the tube on the disc and hit it once with a hammer. The disc should slide slightly down on the rod. When you remove the tube the disc will fly away as it has a spring underneath it.

 

[dullhead]

Hi Romsitsa,
"hit it with a hammer" and "disc flies away" sounds a little destructive to me at first glance (and of someone, who has no clue about he is talking about anyway" ). The razor is still on its way to me.
Is this a destructive, one way but no back, thing? How can I reassamble the razor and reinstall the disc to get it back in its original state then?

 

[romsitsa]

Yes it is destructive as it was not designed to be taken apart.

For reassembly you will need a pair of long nosed pliers to crimp back the plate onto the rod (and patience is also a must).

 

[bartje-p]

I am reading along, especially the assembly part has my interest, because I have cleaned it, but would like to clean the inner parts as well.

 

[nemo]

... the assembly part has my interest, because I have cleaned it, but would like to clean the inner parts as well.

If it's working OK you don't need to clean the inside, Bartje-p

 

[TPK]

GSA parts:

 

[airmech]

As Nemo said if it is working correctly you don't need to clean the insides. What I use is "Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner without bleach and scrub with an old toothbrush. You can then rinse it with hot, not boiling water several times and you will be good to go. I am not sure what the equivalent to Scrubbing Bubbles is in Germany. If you feel it is a little rough you can put a few drops of mineral oil down the shaft from the to and from the bottom.

Tom

 

[dullhead]

Whow!
- I learned: Don't disassemble the razor, if no need to do so.
- "What raise up, must come down" (Alan Parsons) translated into this context means:
"What comes in, will come out" - Cleaning without disassembling is fine and sufficient
- Oiling: Would "Ballistol" do it correctly?

The razor will come with the original case (blue). Its lid seems to be some sort of perspex and is a little scratchy.
If this lid would be the display of a Casio Digital LCD wrist watch, I would use Displex to remove the scratches.
But neither Displex nor the LCD cover of the watch were built 1964...
What is save to use for polishing (removing little scratches) the lid of a Gillette Slim case...especially concerning
longterm influences...?

 

[dullhead]

Is there anything inside the Gillette Slim to which it would be harmful to be put into boiling water (for disinfection,cleaning purposes) - say - for ten minutes?

 

[dullhead]

As Nemo said if it is working correctly you don't need to clean the insides. What I use is "Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner without bleach and scrub with an old toothbrush. You can then rinse it with hot, not boiling water several times and you will be good to go. I am not sure what the equivalent to Scrubbing Bubbles is in Germany. If you feel it is a little rough you can put a few drops of mineral oil down the shaft from the to and from the bottom.

Tom

Thanks a lot for all the hints and infos. The only problem I have is: I don't know American products that well. "Flitz", "Scrubbing bubbles" are unknown to me. I can guess, what they do...but (for example) Razor Emporium recommends to use "Flitz" for polishing the plating of Gillette razors and not to use similiar stuff. Since I don't know, what makes "Flitz" special in regard to this certain use case, I cannot decide what product available in germany is probably the best to use for this purpose...

 

[romsitsa]

You don't need to oil it, brass will lube itself and Ballistol is water soluble so makes little sense. British Gillette TTO-s were treated with a heavy type of grease.
You can use the same agents you would use on any plastic/plated brass.

 

[Doc Dan]

Just disinfect it really well. Why take it apart beyond the normal maintenance take down if you have no reason to do so? Flitz is simply a very mild metal polish. Any mild metal polish will do to shine it back up.

 

[dullhead]

Boiling water will do the job very well I think: No DNA/RNA will survive temperatures above 50°C for a longer period...that's why fever above 40°C is
so dangerous.
Ballistol: OH YES! You are right! I forgot that I knew it already ...thanks for the correction!

 

[Beefdrippings]

Boiling water might remove the paint on the numbers.

 

[bartje-p]

GSA parts:

thanks for the pic @TPK , I stored it for reference if I ever need it.
And for now, I will leave it as it is and shave with it to see how it does!

 

[dullhead]

Boiling water might remove the paint on the numbers.

Oh...good to know! Thanks! May be 70% Isopropanol is a better choice?

 

[airmech]

Isopropyl alcohol will work fine, and I still use mineral oil for lubrication, just a couple of drops down the top of the shaft and in the bottom of the razor. I do this maybe once every couple of years! Enjoy your razor!!!

Tom

 

[bartje-p]

Any tips if the folding doors do not open completely? If I help them, they do open completely. Could it be grease? Will oiling in that position help? Or does it get stuck because a part may be bend a little?

 

[dullhead]

Hi bartje-p

maybe this video will help:

How to Correct a Vintage Gillette Safety Razor Lazy Door Tutorial

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invidio.xamh.de

Good luck!