Inherited Gillette Super Speed

[ItsMrBrooks]

My grandfather passed away around 7 years ago and when I was back home for the holidays, I thought to ask about his razor. Surprisingly, my mother knew exactly where it was and I am now honored to be its owner.

After doing a bit of research, I've discovered it's a Gillette SS but I can't pinpoint the year. It has a black handle (part black, part stainless) and looks like it might be circa 1970. The closest picture I can find is here:

Moving on, my next question is about cleaning it up. It's not nearly as pristine as the one pictured above and while a toothbrush has taken some of the gunk off, there's still a bit more work to be done. I've read that Scrubbing Bubbles is generally pretty effective, but based on my efforts thus far, it will require a bit more work!

I was thinking about cleaning it up with a soft brush and perhaps some diluted CLR but I don't want to do anything that will damage the razor. Would anyone be able to provide some additional tips that might help remove the stubborn stuff?

Thanks for your time and input!

 

[RUSHd]

soaking in warm dish soap has been working the best for me in getting the gunk off.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

It a nice razor congrats. I would stay away from the CLR. Warm water with dishsoap and a soft toothbrush is all you need. Also you can use scrubbing bubbles.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Congratulations! A razor owned by a family member is to be treasured. If you look underneath the head you will find a letter and a number stamped on it. It may be hard to see until you clean it up. The letter designates the year it was made, and the number is the quarter of that year. I believe the black handle Super Speed was introduced in 1967 with a date code of "M".

 

[ItsMrBrooks]

Congratulations! A razor owned by a family member is to be treasured. If you look underneath the head you will find a letter and a number stamped on it. It may be hard to see until you clean it up. The letter designates the year it was made, and the number is the quarter of that year. I believe the black handle Super Speed was introduced in 1967 with a date code of "M".

Thanks for the info! I was thinking the same thing - regardless of how well it shaves or the condition it's in, it's the finest razor in my collection thus far

 

[Go West Young Man]

Long soaks in hot soapy water along with some toothbrush scrubbing will take care of the gunk.

 

[sandmountainslim]

Congrats!
Grandpa Razors are the best
I use my late Grandfather's Forties Super Speed daily.
Wp

 

[lungho]

For razors in this condition, I've usually left them soaking in a cup of scrubbing bubbles for 24hrs. I can only remember one out of the last eight needing extra work to get it clean.

Congrats!

 

[ItsMrBrooks]

Congrats!
Grandpa Razors are the best
Wp

I don't doubt it

It's currently drying in the kitchen and it cleaned up pretty nicely all things considered. There's a little rust under the top (head?) and it does have the "M" stamp. The rust is very very minor so I am not going to let it bother me.

The handle on the other hand, well let's just say my Grandfather was a very...old school Polish immigrant and had a wonderful fascination for tinkering and "fixing" things that weren't broken. I can definitely tell it's my Grandfather's razor due to what appears to be some severe indentations around the neck (above the black bar) and on the black bar - probably from a pair of pliers from some of that Polish handiwork!

The upper most part between the top and the pole have definite clamp marks and the black had similar markings which revealed some of the bare metal. Not sure if it's best practice or not, but I did touch up the bar with a little black paint. I consider it following suit with my grandpa. I think he would have wanted me to "fix" it

I think a new Personna Red will make for a nice first run with the blade in the morning. Thanks again for all of your input!

 

[the mood]

Very nice, I got started when I found my dads old razor that I watched him use as a kid. I have had it replated and plan on passing it to my boy when he's old enough, although hes only 3 months old now so it'll be a while.

 

[BladeDE40]

While i have not inherited any razors I have recently purchased a few vintage Superspeeds ( a V3 40s style, a black handled, and 2 flair tips) I find them to be my favorite shavers. I gave my dad the V3 for Xmas so o guess he inherited it from me. As far as cleaning goes SBs works well you can also use some chrome polish or metal wax to shine up the metal parts.

 

[Jeppy]

I would love to have a razor from a family member passed down to me. I would really cherish something like that forever. I have a daughter so passing on my collection would be odd but I might do it anyway. She is well aware how much my small collection means to me. I'm sure she would do the right thing with the collection.

 

[Go West Young Man]

That's not rust you're seeing (since Superspeeds aren't made of oxidizable metals), it's probably just some of the surface plating having worn off. Entirely cosmetic, won't affect the performance or life of the razor at all.

 

[grump]

I think a new Personna Red will make for a nice first run with the blade in the morning. Thanks again for all of your input!

Have fun and enjoy shaving with it.