ID Help Needed

[Mr. Scruffy]

I picked up these two (among many) DE's last weekend at several central Texas antique shops. I cant identify either with certainty.

The first appears to be a Gillette Goodwill. The handle matches the photo in the wiki but the head is different. Patent numbers were granted 1930-1932. I dont' know if the box is the original for this razor.

The second is a GEM in a Bakelite box with blade holders and original? blades.
Patent number is 1739280-1773614.

Any help with identification or appraisal of condition would be appreciated.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Another pic of the GEM.

 

[copperhead]

The first razor is a Gillette NEW.

 

[AsylumGuido]

The first set is a complete Red & Black Set from the mid to late 1930's. It was an economy set distributed with several different gold plated razors from that era, including a couple piecemealed just for the set. That said, the NEW which you have is a great shave.

 

[Oldguy]

Yes the 1st one is a New with the long tooth comb. And specifically it's the Red and Black set. That's a nice set and one of the best shavers you'll ever find. The interesting thing about this razor is the square shaped tool marks under the blade positioning bar which make you think about the Goodwill. But it is a New.

And the 2nd razor is the Gem Micromatic, a pretty aggressive razor. So if you try it go slow and easy and use Gem blades.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Thanks, gents!

It appears that most of the gold plating on the NEW has been lost from the head and the butt of the handle. There is also some green colored oxidation/tarnish on the threads (ID and OD) and the inside of the bottom plate. Would it be safe to use Scrubbing Bubbles or MAAS to clean up these areas? If not, what can you recommend? I checked the forums and there is a lot of information about what NOT to do to a gold plated razor, but not much about what TO do.

Also, is there any way to narrow down the age of both the NEW and the GEM?

 

[AsylumGuido]

Scrubbing bubbles can be safely used, but MAAS will polish any remaining plating off. That said, you can polish the cap since it is already missing its plating. It will polish up to a nice shiny copper.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Scrubbing bubbles can be safely used, but MAAS will polish any remaining plating off. That said, you can polish the cap since it is already missing its plating. It will polish up to a nice shiny copper.

Thanks. I assume the same holds true for the GEM?

 

[AsylumGuido]

Thanks. I assume the same holds true for the GEM?

As for the Scrubbing Bubbles, yes. But the Micromatic can handle a polish like the MAAS.

 

[Pauldog]

That NEW will look very nice with some nickel plating. I've seen some replate jobs.

 

[AsylumGuido]

That NEW will look very nice with some nickel plating. I've seen some replate jobs.

It would no longer match the case. The Red and Black Sets all came with one variety or another of gold razors. It would also no longer match the case since it wouldn't be an original Gillette any longer.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Scrubbing bubbles can be safely used, but MAAS will polish any remaining plating off. That said, you can polish the cap since it is already missing its plating. It will polish up to a nice shiny copper.

Update:

I sprayed the NEW with Scrubbing Bubbles, waited 10 minutes and then wiped it clean. While it did get a little bit shinier, it was still pretty gunky.

So I soaked the razor in Scrubbing Bubbles for an hour. I now have a shiney copper NEW.

I recommend that Scrubbing Bubbles not be used for extended soaks on gold plated razors. Stick with warm water and dishwashing liquid soap. If that doesn't work, live with a dull looking razor.

What is interesting is that the base plate remains gold plated. The handle and the head are not. Weird. Maybe the lacquer was already gone?

Anyway, a caveat for the cleaning manual.

 

[r0ckrat]

Brass base plate, copper cap and handle... Sounds ripe fora replate...

 

[T Rick]

Cool razors. Congrats on some nice finds. I just picked up one of each of these in lots, but in much worse condition and no cases. The New is here (pics in another post requesting ID help, thanks again guys!) and the Gem, glad I saw your thread. I had no idea what it was! (Bought in a lot with several others). Those will hopefully be here next week. My new will either be replated, or left "raw". We'll see how it cleans up (thanks for the tip on scrubbing bubbles too, though most of my gold appears gone, I'll go easy to see what's really there).

 

[profsaffel]

Amazing. I bet my wife 100 bucks that AsylumGuido would have the answer to this DE identification thread. Of course, since we share accounts, I didn't actually win anything...