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I received my Sheraton....Oh Oh!!!

+1

Buyer's remorse?

You aren't the first one to suggest this.

Once I get the Sheraton back I plan to contact a metallurgist in Memphis at the National Ornamental Metal Museum and I plan to ask him or her a rapid fire sequence of questions about the intricacies of plating (and particularly gold plating) the old Gillettes. I just hope they can handle the barrage of TTO questions!! I'm also hoping to find out some things I've often wondered about but until now really had no inclination to ask. If you guys are interested in hearing what I find out I can post it here at a later date.

For those of you out there that have sent me an offer on the razor I think I am going to keep it at least in the short term and see what I can find out about it and what can be done to restore it if anything. Typically I don't clean or do much to gold plated razors I plan to resell as I prefer to let the owner do that since gold plates are so temperamental. Those of you that have been collecting for a while know whereof I speak. Afterwards I may relist it or offer it to some of you that asked about it through Ebay. I will keep your names on file.

I wanted to make a minor correction to a statement I made earlier about the endcaps. I said later Sheratons (post '37) had endcaps--that isn't correct. They had exposed hinges as well what they lacked was the visible rivet in the hinge. They were one piece with a projection that hooked into an opening on the head. Just wanted to point that out.

About the shave characteristics, it may have had something to do with the fact I was shaving with a new Feather in my Sheraton! :w00t:
 
You aren't the first one to suggest this.

Once I get the Sheraton back I plan to contact a metallurgist in Memphis at the National Ornamental Metal Museum and I plan to ask him or her a rapid fire sequence of questions about the intricacies of plating (and particularly gold plating) the old Gillettes. I just hope they can handle the barrage of TTO questions!! I'm also hoping to find out some things I've often wondered about but until now really had no inclination to ask. If you guys are interested in hearing what I find out I can post it here at a later date.

For those of you out there that have sent me an offer on the razor I think I am going to keep it at least in the short term and see what I can find out about it and what can be done to restore it if anything. Typically I don't clean or do much to gold plated razors I plan to resell as I prefer to let the owner do that since gold plates are so temperamental. Those of you that have been collecting for a while know whereof I speak. Afterwards I may relist it or offer it to some of you that asked about it through Ebay. I will keep your names on file.

I wanted to make a minor correction to a statement I made earlier about the endcaps. I said later Sheratons (post '37) had endcaps--that isn't correct. They had exposed hinges as well what they lacked was the visible rivet in the hinge. They were one piece with a projection that hooked into an opening on the head. Just wanted to point that out.

About the shave characteristics, it may have had something to do with the fact I was shaving with a new Feather in my Sheraton! :w00t:

I am the buyer. I have no remorse. I bought this razor because of your feedback. You have 357 perfect feedback and I have 337 perfect feedback.


When you first posted the razor as a 1937 Sheraton, there were no photos available. On my computer there was the white box showing no photos. I bookmarked the razor. Photos later appeared. I looked and made the decision to buy the razor which said "This razor is in beautiful condition with no finish loss and no bent teeth". You asked why I bid on it if I saw the pictures. Again, I bought the razor because of you and your feedback.

In my eyes, there is a finish loss. I compared the Sheraton to my Gillette "new" and the "new improved" razors. Your Sheraton has no plating on the head. There is plating missing on the handle. I confess to being a novice and do not know about the older Gillettes and what plating problems they may have had. Maybe this is normal. I do not have one to compare it to.

Thank you for the offer of a reduction in price on the razor.

As per your instructions, I filed the Ebay case so you could get your fees back. I also shipped the razor wrapped in the paper towel and with the bubble wrap in the priority box as you asked me to do. It was shipped yesterday.

Thank you for your time and infomation on this razor. I have learned some valuable information from these post on this razor. Thanks to all that have posted on the plating issues with the post war Gillettes.

Dale
 
Dale I'll take your word for it and no offence meant. The exchange does have some of the hallmarks though and that is why it came up. However, any transaction is probably more perception than reality and if you think you have gotten a bad deal then you have...and there's the end of the matter.

As for the picture issues that sounds like an Ebay or browser glitch. In fact I'm certain that is what it was as I had one other individual ask about the pictures. I assure you that one picture was there from the outset and I added the other four a bit later. I wouldn't bother placing an auction without pictures. On Ebay there is no reason not to.

Once the parcel arrives we will close out the matter in Ebay's Resolution Centre.

Once I get with the metallurgist I will post an update here with what I have found out and if it turns out that you are correct in your observations it will be duly noted for all to see.

Also I want to acknowledge a point a previous poster raised. I inadvertently used finish for plating in the Ebay ad. I confess to using those therms interchangeably even though there is a distinction. I know better but I just got a little careless with the semantics is all. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
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Refund issued and now it is on to the metallurgist...hopefully in the coming week as I think I have found one right here in the town I live in!

Stay tuned all!
 
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This is what I have found out about this Sheraton. Gold plating on the head is thin but intact. It isn't the 22 or 24 kt triple gold plating you saw on the upper tier Aristocrats but remember the Sheratons were introduced as a budget offering for an original selling price of less than a dollar in 1937. The reddish colour on the handle can be attributed to the copper cladding underneath. For gold to bond properly it needs to be layered on to a receptive metal like nickel, copper, or rhodium. The underlying metal affects the gold's relative brightness. Nickel makes it appear brighter. Copper tends to make the overlaying gold appear darker and over time depending on the gold's thickness, its porosity, impurities during the plating process, as well as handling and storage, etc. this darkening can be accentuated. Careful buffing and polishing can remove or diminish this reddish aspect but with thin plating you have to be very careful doing it. It's best to let a professional do this if it happens to be a valuable piece of jewellery.

Afterwards, I did decide to give this a light cleaning and polish and it brightened up considerably but I hesitated to carry things further as I was fearful of taking off the plating particularly on the handle. Whilst cleaning it I did notice a very small scratch in the knurling where the head joins the handle and it appears that the upper part of the handle is steel with a copper overlay. I'm attributing this to the greyish colour underneath. The winding stem may be solid copper.

Having cleaned it up I may just try and find a case for it and keep it.
 
This is what I have found out about this Sheraton. Gold plating on the head is thin but intact. It isn't the 22 or 24 kt triple gold plating you saw on the upper tier Aristocrats but remember the Sheratons were introduced as a budget offering for an original selling price of less than a dollar in 1937. The reddish colour on the handle can be attributed to the copper cladding underneath. For gold to bond properly it needs to be layered on to a receptive metal like nickel, copper, or rhodium. The underlying metal affects the gold's relative brightness. Nickel makes it appear brighter. Copper tends to make the overlaying gold appear darker and over time depending on the gold's thickness, its porosity, impurities during the plating process, as well as handling and storage, etc. this darkening can be accentuated. Careful buffing and polishing can remove or diminish this reddish aspect but with thin plating you have to be very careful doing it. It's best to let a professional do this if it happens to be a valuable piece of jewellery.

Afterwards, I did decide to give this a light cleaning and polish and it brightened up considerably but I hesitated to carry things further as I was fearful of taking off the plating particularly on the handle. Whilst cleaning it I did notice a very small scratch in the knurling where the head joins the handle and it appears that the upper part of the handle is steel with a copper overlay. I'm attributing this to the greyish colour underneath. The winding stem may be solid copper.

Having cleaned it up I may just try and find a case for it and keep it.

This is all interesting and informative. Would you mind taking some photos? You know us...if we don't see photos we don't believe that it happened :tongue_sm
 
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