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Repair, retooling, cleaning of safety razors

Can anyone recommend a service I can reach out to to have my vintage Gillette Slim Adjustables cleaned, polished, etc? I live in Canada, so if anyone knows of one in Canada that would be great, too.
 
Have you already tried the usual B&B recommendations? One can get pretty amazing results from them.
 
R

romsitsa

Hello, if you have zero tools, yes you will need to buy some.
These would be (more or less) required to disassemble a Slim:
 
You don't need to disassemble it unless the adjustment mechanism is malfunctioning. And cleaning/polishing vintage razors is super easy.
 
You don't need to disassemble it unless the adjustment mechanism is malfunctioning. And cleaning/polishing vintage razors is super easy.
No, mine are just a little tight when closing the butterfly flaps. Itll close fine but doesnt have that nice soft seal feeling.
 
No, mine are just a little tight when closing the butterfly flaps. Itll close fine but doesnt have that nice soft seal feeling.
You just need to clean it. A good soak in hot soapy water usually releases internal build up of old soap; you may have to do that more than once. Externally, a scrub with an old tooth brush and hand soap will bring it up to a dazzling finish. Hard deposits can be removed with a scrub of a brush and a little toothpaste.
 
After its had a good soak and clean, you can also try a few drops of mineral oil to lubricate the mechanism.
 
R

romsitsa

US made Gillette tto-s are not “soft” on opening/closing. If completely clean, it should “squeak” and “chatter”. If it operates stiff or smoothly, it has gunk.
Use an ultrasonic cleaner, it will get rid of most or all buildups.
 
US made Gillette tto-s are not “soft” on opening/closing. If completely clean, it should “squeak” and “chatter”. If it operates stiff or smoothly, it has gunk.
Use an ultrasonic cleaner, it will get rid of most or all buildups.
Ok, but then I have to buy an ultrasonic cleaner.
 
You just need to clean it. A good soak in hot soapy water usually releases internal build up of old soap; you may have to do that more than once. Externally, a scrub with an old tooth brush and hand soap will bring it up to a dazzling finish. Hard deposits can be removed with a scrub of a brush and a little toothpaste.


The super super hot soapy water and toothbrush scrub works for me everytime.
 
My razor cleaning process is:

1. Toss the razor(s) into a deep container and squirt a generous amount of dish soap on them.

2. Put on a teakettle full of water until it whistles.

3. When the kettle whistles, pull it off the fire and pour slowly over the razor(s) until completely submerged.

4. Wait. And watch. Hold back your disgust and big flakes of gunk break free from the razors.

5. With an old toothbrush, aid the gunk removal process by scrubbing the razors while still submerged in hot water.

6. After some time, pour the disgusting water into the sink and quench the razors in cold water.

7. Inspect them for linger gunk. Check the opening mechanisms. Repeat steps 1-6 if any problems persist.

8. When you're happy with your results, break out some polishing rags and your favorite metal polish. I like Maas and Flitz. Go to town with it. Use cotton swabs to polish inside tight areas.

NOTE: Do NOT use this method for razors with plastic parts. The water from the kettle is hot enough to warp plastic. For razors with plastic parts, follow the same process but with the hottest water you can get from your kitchen faucet.
 
You just need to clean it. A good soak in hot soapy water usually releases internal build up of old soap; you may have to do that more than once. Externally, a scrub with an old tooth brush and hand soap will bring it up to a dazzling finish. Hard deposits can be removed with a scrub of a brush and a little toothpaste.

+2! This ^
 
US made Gillette tto-s are not “soft” on opening/closing. If completely clean, it should “squeak” and “chatter”. If it operates stiff or smoothly, it has gunk.
Use an ultrasonic cleaner, it will get rid of most or all buildups.
I dont mean that theyre soft like that, they do rattle and squeak, but on reaching the end where they begin to clasp, there is a slightly dampened seal. The other one struggles to seal, like maybe the threads get jammed. Don't know how else to describe it.
 
3. When the kettle whistles, pull it off the fire and pour slowly over the razor(s) until completely submerged.
I was told once that boiling hot water isnt good for metals because the thermal shock contributes to cracks and other surface issues. Particularly in razors that have tiny joints, etc. Can anyone speak to this?
Also, with dish soap on something so small, there is a point at which you're just wasting soap. A friend runs a home cleaning company so I know little things like that about cleaning products. A single teaspoon is more than enough for both razors. Soap is one of those things (don't know what it's called) where people think more of it does the job better. But it really doesn't.
 
I was told once that boiling hot water isnt good for metals because the thermal shock contributes to cracks and other surface issues. Particularly in razors that have tiny joints, etc. Can anyone speak to this?
Also, with dish soap on something so small, there is a point at which you're just wasting soap. A friend runs a home cleaning company so I know little things like that about cleaning products. A single teaspoon is more than enough for both razors. Soap is one of those things (don't know what it's called) where people think more of it does the job better. But it really doesn't.

I'm sure I use more soap than I need to. I think the extra hot water does the bulk of the work in my process anyway. But I can say I've restored razors with this method that seemed like lost causes at first glance. I've never damaged one with this method either, and I've cleaned hundreds. Literally hundreds.
 
R

romsitsa

Boiling water won’t harm brass, even cooking it won’t do anything.
You can get rid of soap and other fatty residues with soap/water, but the hard deposits will stay. On the other hand, cleaners which dissolve calc, will stain the plating.
So if it has hard deposits you have three options, send it out to someone doing repairs, get some tools or an ultrasonic.
 
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