Lubrication for Old Gillettes
- Thread starter DonN
- Start date
I've had to hit the TTO knob on a couple of mine with WD-40. Some people advise against it, but I did it, then soaked the razor in dish soap and water and haven't had a problem so far.
The adjuster knob on the Fatboys and Slims can get gunked up, so that's another area that may need to be oiled.
The adjuster knob on the Fatboys and Slims can get gunked up, so that's another area that may need to be oiled.
Breakfree CLP
I never bother to lube the razors. After all, they have lasted for decades thus far without any appreciable wear to the mechanism. And they we not originally sold with lube on them.
Be careful with cleaner lubricants. They can remove the paint from the numbers. My method to remove gunk from a TTO is to put it in an ultrasonic cleaner.
A note to the original poster: Personally, (might be just me) I wish that you wouldn't routinely post in italics. Italics is what's used for quotes in messages and it does confuse me sometimes in the threads trying to figure out what's going on.
Be careful with cleaner lubricants. They can remove the paint from the numbers. My method to remove gunk from a TTO is to put it in an ultrasonic cleaner.
A note to the original poster: Personally, (might be just me) I wish that you wouldn't routinely post in italics. Italics is what's used for quotes in messages and it does confuse me sometimes in the threads trying to figure out what's going on.
I use CLP to clean and lube my firearms. I would never use it on something that contacts my skin.
I use baby oil or mineral oil to lube my adjustable razors.
I use baby oil or mineral oil to lube my adjustable razors.
About the only thing that oil will do is act as a magnet for dirt and crud inside the razor.
These things were designed to work without lubrication, you don't need to do anything beyond keep them clean.
These things were designed to work without lubrication, you don't need to do anything beyond keep them clean.
I have a Super Speed whose TTO squeaked something fierce. I soaked and soaked it, but to no avail. I finally caved in and put a few drops of WD-40 on it - no problems since.
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petroleum-based oils can be a skin irritant....use mineral oil instead.
it's cheap. it's natural and does a very good job of removing squeaks and keeping mechanisms smooth
it's cheap. it's natural and does a very good job of removing squeaks and keeping mechanisms smooth
Mineral oil is petroleum based oil.
I got a silicone oil for my fishing reels at Wally world the other day. Decided if it was good enough for fishing reels, it would probably be good for razors. Both of which are exposed to lots of water. Lubed up all of my tto, and adjustables. Very happy with the results. All razors are smooth and I was able to wipe off the excess oil without leaving much residue. I believe that Tri-flo, which is teflon based is advocated here for razor lubrication. I used to use this with great success on my mountain bike chain. I doubt that much oil is necessary unless your razor is gunked up with soap debris. A good cleaning, or boiling may be all that is necessary if your adjustable is having movement issues.
Jeff
Jeff
- Thread starter
- #13
this does make a lot of sense - I do a lot of biking and oil does attract road dirt - the chain needs the lubrication but I end up disolving and re-applying every couple weeks - a periodic lube/solvent routine would probably work but then again you make a good point when you say they were originally sold without having or requiring lube and so religious cleaning is probably all that is needed .
+1. Don't lubricate.
- Thread starter
- #15
+2
I don't know where you would lube a Fatboy, but if you do lube any TTO razor I would recommend using just a light machine oil such as 3 in 1 or marvel mystery oil. Then after it is lubed and everything works well you need to soak the razor preferably 2 times in warm soapy water to remove the oil so it wont act like a dust magnet and gum things up worse than they are before you started.
For those who don't know.. WD-40 contains Parafin wax that does not rinse away with warm soapy water.. it will stay in the razor and is all but impossible to get out.
I have a fatboy that wouldn't turn its last quarter turn. It was gunked up and it also squeaked.
I stood the razor up on a paper towel and slowly poured paint thinner through it. Not paint remover, paint thinner. The thinner went it one end clear as water and it came out the other end black. I kept pouring until it came out clear and I worked the razor's mechanisms and poured more paint thinner through. All in all I probably used say 2 or 3 ounces of paint thinner.
I then put it in a bowl of warm water with some dishwashing detergent, worked the mechanisms and then rinsed the razor with clean water.
I've done this with fatboys and slims and they all work perfectly.
I've never lubricated any razor.
I stood the razor up on a paper towel and slowly poured paint thinner through it. Not paint remover, paint thinner. The thinner went it one end clear as water and it came out the other end black. I kept pouring until it came out clear and I worked the razor's mechanisms and poured more paint thinner through. All in all I probably used say 2 or 3 ounces of paint thinner.
I then put it in a bowl of warm water with some dishwashing detergent, worked the mechanisms and then rinsed the razor with clean water.
I've done this with fatboys and slims and they all work perfectly.
I've never lubricated any razor.
When doing some of the restorations in my business, I have found that sometimes the action is a little rough after some heavy duty cleaning. A little 3-in-1 oil has smoothed the action out tremendously. Any other light oil should work. However, I will agree with the others that regular oiling is not needed, and will act only has a magnet for dirt and gunk.
I like ballistol for stuff that I use on my skin. It's non-toxic.
WD40 has what's sometimes called paraffin oil, aka kerosene, pretty close to the solvent used in WD40. It's a little confusing, because paraffin also sometimes refers to mineral oil, the lubricant used in WD40. The difference between mineral oil and paraffin wax is simply viscosity. It doesn't contain wax grade paraffin, the kind you might make candles from. And if it did, you'd remove it the same way you put it in... with solvent.
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