Inquiry about razors

[jflwr]

Hello folks,
A few weeks ago, my mom was cleaning out some boxes of my grandparents' things and inside was a Stahly razor that belonged to my grandpa which she let me have. Since then, I have really gotten interested in older safety razors which was the reason I found this site. Yesterday, me and a buddy were walking through some antique shops and I found these razors which seemed like good buys. I'm wondering if it would be necessary to have them replated, or simply to give them a good cleaning. They seem to function well, I'm just worried about possible cosmetic flaws being too much to rub out. The one in the case seems to be in the best shape of the three. Any advice would be wonderful.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Mike H]

Welcome to B&B. Give them a good scrubbing with a toothbrush and warm soapy water. Those are all nice razors congratulations, the slim (middle one) is my favorite of the bunch. As far as plating goes, that is entirely up to you, it should not affect the shave.

 

[oldbluelight]

Maybe you should think of the cosmetic flaws as honourable battle scars earned in the never-ending war on whiskers. Patina works too, if you have pacifist or artistic tendencies.

 

[bryan1980]

Very good finds in the wild!

The cased one is a Gillette Superspeed, blue tip. Gillette made three different Super Speeds back then. A blue tip for light beards, a plain, unpainted tip for average beards, and a red tip for heavy beards. It looks to be in great shape, I wouldn't worry about replating.

The middle one is a Gillette Slim adjustable. One of my favorite razors, and a very versatile shaver.

The one on the right is a Gillette 195 adjustable, aka "Fatboy". One of the most beloved razors on this site. I've never owned one, but hear they are great shavers. They pack a little more weight than a Slim, and it has a higher-domed head.

All three should have a number and letter combo date code under the head (ie: D3). Letter indicates year, and number indicates quarter of manufacture. You can check that here http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/US_Gillette_Dating_Information Look under the 1950-1988 table.

Give all three a good, long soaking in almost-boiling water and dish soap over the course of 24 hours, changing the water out as often as you can. That should remove any gunk that has accumulated over the years. Follow up with a soft toothbrush scrubbing, and hit it with some Maas metal polish and a soft cloth. You might think about having the Slim and Fatboy replated at some point, but they'll be perfectly usuable after the clean-up.

You found a few timeless classics there, enjoy!

 

[cwnidog]

Very good finds in the wild!

The cased one is a Gillette Superspeed, blue tip. Gillette made three different Super Speeds back then. A blue tip for light beards, a plain, unpainted tip for average beards, and a red tip for heavy beards. It looks to be in great shape, I wouldn't worry about replating.

The middle one is a Gillette Slim adjustable. One of my favorite razors, and a very versatile shaver.

The one on the right is a Gillette 195 adjustable, aka "Fatboy". One of the most beloved razors on this site. I've never owned one, but hear they are great shavers. They pack a little more weight than a Slim, and it has a higher-domed head.

All three should have a number and letter combo date code under the head (ie: D3). Letter indicates year, and number indicates quarter of manufacture. You can check that here http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/US_Gillette_Dating_Information Look under the 1950-1988 table.

Give all three a good, long soaking in almost-boiling water and dish soap over the course of 24 hours, changing the water out as often as you can. That should remove any gunk that has accumulated over the years. Follow up with a soft toothbrush scrubbing, and hit it with some Maas metal polish and a soft cloth. You might think about having the Slim and Fatboy replated at some point, but they'll be perfectly usuable after the clean-up.

You found a few timecless classics there, enjoy!

+1

 

[jflwr]

Thanks folks for the advice! I have another question. In a shop down the street from this one, they had a razor just like the uncased one on the end. I didn't know if the 10 dollars they had in it would be worth it or not. Is it worth going back after? I bought these three because they seemed cheap and I didn't have a TTO type razor yet.

 

[barticus]

Nice finds With Bryan's method, they should come up very nicely. $10 for at fatboy is a good price.

 

[Shave_Rat]

Thanks folks for the advice! I have another question. In a shop down the street from this one, they had a razor just like the uncased one on the end. I didn't know if the 10 dollars they had in it would be worth it or not. Is it worth going back after? I bought these three because they seemed cheap and I didn't have a TTO type razor yet.

Pretty sure I'd pay $10 for any razor that was mechanically sound/functioning that had caught my eye.

 

[BBrad]

jflwr, those are very nice razors that will clean up quite well using bryan's advice posted above!!

Soap and water is your best friend, along with a light buffing with MAAS or Simichrome polish.

Be sure to stay away from vinegar, bleach, CLR, boiling water, and automotive polishes.

BTW - Welcome to B&B!! Enjoy the shaves!!

 

[bryan1980]

Thanks folks for the advice! I have another question. In a shop down the street from this one, they had a razor just like the uncased one on the end. I didn't know if the 10 dollars they had in it would be worth it or not. Is it worth going back after? I bought these three because they seemed cheap and I didn't have a TTO type razor yet.

By all means grab it! That's a good price for any vintage Gillette in good shape.

 

[gmgaj]

Before replating, use them a while and see if you like them. I've been meaning to replate a razor for months, but I keep finding a new favorite razor. There is no shame in not preferring a popular razor in favor of something else.

And go get that fatboy for $10.

 

[jflwr]

Thanks again for the cleaning tips. I have been using a long comb type razor so I was anxious to see the differences between it and the TTO types. Still early so I have only used the slim, but I gotta say I liked it! I liked the feel of it set at 5. Now the hard part will be waiting to use the others!

 

[onotoman]

I'd suggest that you get the razors replated (some may say that I would say that as I carry out replating, possibly true, but I always try to offer unbiased advice)

There are patches where the plating is worn through to the copper/brass underneath and this will start to oxidise and pitting will result.

It's far better to replate at this stage than wait until the pitting has started, a good result will be impossible to achieve then.

Those are fine razors and will look like new after replating. No amount of cleaning will help once a razor has worn through to the brass/copper. The plating is done for a reason - to protect the underlying brass from attack by water, acids in soaps and creams etc

If the razors in question were Techs or similar, I wouldn't bother replating, but for the Fatboy and Slim - definitely.

By the way, the Blue Tip has an Aluminium handle which cannot be replated, so a light buff and polish will be sufficient. Personally, I think Aluminium should never be used in razors - it doesn't do well in long term contact with water, acids etc. The Black Handle Adjustable can seize solid due to electrolytic action of aluminium in contact with the nickel plated rod inside the handle.

Hope this helps

 

[Graybeard57]

Beautiful razors. Get that Fatboy. I may pick one up myself one day.

 

[jflwr]

I'd suggest that you get the razors replated (some may say that I would say that as I carry out replating, possibly true, but I always try to offer unbiased advice)

There are patches where the plating is worn through to the copper/brass underneath and this will start to oxidise and pitting will result.

It's far better to replate at this stage than wait until the pitting has started, a good result will be impossible to achieve then.

Those are fine razors and will look like new after replating. No amount of cleaning will help once a razor has worn through to the brass/copper. The plating is done for a reason - to protect the underlying brass from attack by water, acids in soaps and creams etc

If the razors in question were Techs or similar, I wouldn't bother replating, but for the Fatboy and Slim - definitely.

By the way, the Blue Tip has an Aluminium handle which cannot be replated, so a light buff and polish will be sufficient. Personally, I think Aluminium should never be used in razors - it doesn't do well in long term contact with water, acids etc. The Black Handle Adjustable can seize solid due to electrolytic action of aluminium in contact with the nickel plated rod inside the handle.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the great information, it certainly helps! I went back to the store today and the other fatboy was still there so I got it. It looks to be in much better shape than these other two. Thinking maybe I should give it a good cleaning though and see what I'm working with.