I Goofed on my Ebay Razor (40' style Superspeed w/ Missing Endcap).... Help

[mistercitizen]

My 1953 Gillette Superspeed Y2 date code (my mother's birthday) just arrived in the mail today. When I opened up the package I noticed it right away..... a missing endcap. I went back to the listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110916526089?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

and sure enough the description states that it is missing an endcap and the photos show it clearly. I completely missed it. I feel foolish since I'm usually pretty good at catching the details but I got excited when I saw the date code was a Y2 which coincides with my mother's birthday so I jumped on it. No fault of the vendor.... (by the way, the vendor was very generous in shipping the razor in a very carefully packed clear plastic case since this did not come with the original case.... a nice surprise and something that the vendor definitely didn't have to do).

The razor is in great condition otherwise. My question..... how difficult is it to replace the endcap? Could I find another superspeed with the same endcap and do it myself? Or is it the kind of thing that it would make more sense to send it away and have someone who does razor restoration do for me. It might even be cheaper to find another Y2 on the bay in the condition that I want I suppose.... but I seems like a shame to not fix it up. I made a mistake in buying it..... and I guess I would rather fix the mistake rather than forgetting about it and moving on to something else. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Ben

 

[JeffE]

You could take the end cap off the other side and just polish the two end pieces. I think these razors actually look better without the end caps.

 

[Snargle]

I haven't tried it yet, but others have told me that you can take a "donor" Super Speed, remove the end caps by unsoldering them, and then graft them onto your razor with a dab of epoxy cement. The only special tool you'd need would be a soldering iron, and that's simple enough to find.

 

[mistercitizen]

I haven't tried it yet, but others have told me that you can take a "donor" Super Speed, remove the end caps by unsoldering them, and then graft them onto your razor with a dab of epoxy cement. The only special tool you'd need would be a soldering iron, and that's simple enough to find.

I have a soldering iron so it sounds like maybe the trick would be obtaining a "donor" super speed. Does anyone's driver's license state that they are "super speed parts donors"?

Ben

 

[Bk124tt]

You could send it to razor emporium!

 

[mistercitizen]

You could send it to razor emporium!

Do they do repairs like this?

Ben

 

[Bk124tt]

Check out the website or give them a call, but I believe they do.

 

[bmathe02]

Do they do repairs like this?

Ben

I suggest you read up on razor emporium on this forum and come to your own conclusion. I have no personal experience but a lot here do.......... Just read and be forewarned

 

[garyg]

The end cap repair is pretty simple, I've done two, one on a SS and one on a President. First one I tried to solder the new one in place, it worked ok but was fiddly with the solder running around a bit. Second one I did with epoxy & worked out easier. Since SS's are so plentiful just find a groady one someplace & use it as a donor.

 

[simpleguy]

That is one nice looking razor I totally understand how r could miss the endcap, no big deal put it back together, or leave as is, either way you have a nice razor

 

[mistercitizen]

Just made a deal with a kind B&B member for a donor 1953 Y-3 Superspeed with good endcaps.... so I'll be going the route of "doing it myself". I just need to get some epoxy glue I guess. I've got all the solder cleaned off of the one I have with the missing endcap.... so it's ready to go. Just gotta get the endcap off the donor razor and get on this one. Thanks to everyone so far for your suggestions and advice.

Ben

 

[celestino]

Good luck with the process.

 

[alex2363]

You could send it to razor emporium!

Do they do repairs like this?

Ben

They are a banned member here, as we all know. I would not take that suggestion in all fairness.

 

[alex2363]

Just made a deal with a kind B&B member for a donor 1953 Y-3 Superspeed with good endcaps.... so I'll be going the route of "doing it myself". I just need to get some epoxy glue I guess. I've got all the solder cleaned off of the one I have with the missing endcap.... so it's ready to go. Just gotta get the endcap off the donor razor and get on this one. Thanks to everyone so far for your suggestions and advice.

Ben

If not...just buy anther one.

 

[mistercitizen]

Well, I'm embarrassed to say that I ended up ruining my 1953 Y-2 Super Speed in the process of trying to install a replacement endcap on it. A couple things I learned:

1. Get out the big torch when removing the endcaps off of the donor razor. Really heat it up and the endcaps just fall right off. I monkeyed around trying to be delicate.... using a cigarette lighter and a small screw driver trying to pry the endcap off and finally what work the best was when I got out the portable Benzomatic propane torch and heated the razor head for about 20 to 30 seconds and the endcaps just fell right off after a light tap on them.
2. Get all.... and I mean all of the old solder off of the replacement endcap. The endcap is tiny and hard to hold and work with while not scratching the nickel plated side.... but I used a utility knife and just scraped and scraped until it was all off. If you have smooth needle nose pliers...or pliers with a rubber tip or something like that, that would be best to use to hold the endcap. I initally tried to dry fit the endcap on the razor without removing all of the solder and it did not seat down on it very well at all. When I removed the solder, it slipped on just fine.
3. When gluing the replacement endcap on with the epoxy glue, do not push too hard. This is where I ruined the razor. Instead of letting the chemicals in the epoxy glue do their thing... I pushed too hard.... thinking that the harder I pushed, the better it would stick. I ended up bending the side of the razor head slightly and when I was done the doors closed crooked. I have no photos, but you know how at the top of the head when the doors are closed how the center bar projects above the door ever so slightly under normal conditions.... well, I bent mine so that when I closed it the projection above the center bar was just a bit uneven. Just eyeballing it I could see that it was crooked.

I'm posting this so hopefully others will learn from my mistake. I've bought another 1953 Y-2 Super Speed off the bay for $16 shipped. It looks a little rough, but from the photos it looks like there's no brassing or major scratches. I'm hoping it will clean up well. Oh, and it has BOTH endcaps. I'd like to thank my fellow B&B member David for selling me the donor razor so reasonably priced and for shipping it to me so quickly. Looks like I'll have plenty of endcaps for a 1953 Super Speed in case I lose another down the road. Oh well, all of this just to have my mom's birthday Super Speed. It will be worth it when I'm done, but I wish I hadn't ruined the one I had. It was a nice razor otherwise. To everyone, be careful with your vintage gillette razors.... while there are plenty of them out there in the wild.... they don't make them anymore.

Ben