Restoration of an inhereted Gillette razor

[Simcon]

My question concerns a safety razor that I've inherited. The razor in question is an old Gillette safety razor that has seen better its better days, guess it’s been used extensively in the past. The problem is I don’t know what model it is, and if you can restore it. If so, how expensive would it be?

Links to picture of the razor:
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/4097/wp20130319002.jpg
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5024/wp20130319003.jpg
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/3867/wp20130319004.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/15/wp20130319005.jpg
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8424/wp20130319012.jpg
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9362/wp20130319014.jpg
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7642/wp20130319016.jpg
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5434/wp20130319033.jpg
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6126/wp20130319044.jpg

At first when searching around for razor restoration I stumbled upon razor emporium, but I guess that alternative goes away ^^. So what other solutions and alternatives is there?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any help I can get.

 

[mycarver]

The easiest restoration on DE's is a good soaking with Scrubbing Bubbles and a tooth brush. I can't say for certain which model it is though it follows the Super Speed style of razor which includes many models.
Try posting this in the Safety Razor forum and I'm sure you'll get an answer in a heartbeat. Most of the restorations on this forum are geared towards Straight Razor restorations.

 

[Simcon]

The easiest restoration on DE's is a good soaking with Scrubbing Bubbles and a tooth brush. I can't say for certain which model it is though it follows the Super Speed style of razor which includes many models.
Try posting this in the Safety Razor forum and I'm sure you'll get an answer in a heartbeat. Most of the restorations on this forum are geared towards Straight Razor restorations.

Thanks for the tip, I had it moved to where it then belong , hoping to get some good response .

 

[Vercin]

If you mean restoring it to its full glory .. like replating it .. then you need a specialist.

But that razor looks in good shape .. the green stuff will come out easily with the tip above (scrubbing bubbles and tooth brush). Do the doors open nice? evenly?

only thing i see missing is one end cap (don't know how easy is to replace it) .. and some plating loss .. clean it up and see how you stand then

 

[JRL]

Thanks for the great pictures. It's a beautiful family heirloom. I think that razor is called a Gillette Milord. They have a very good reputation.

I totally agree with cleaning it up using scrubbing bubbles and the like, but it already looks better than many of the razors I use regularly. The missing end cap is cosmetic only -- should not affect the shave. If the twist-to-open mechanism functions properly, I'd clean it up a little, slip in a blade, and take it out for a spin.

 

[BigFoot]

It is a Milord, it will provide a great shave. Like the others bove said give it a good cleaning, you may be surprised at how nice it comes out.

 

[jbradley]

Personally, I would clean it with scrubbing bubbles and use it. If you decide to polish it, be very gentle, the gold wash will come off easily. It you want it to look new, the only option is to have it replated. But you might not need that after you clean it well.

 

[Mark1966]

As has been said it is a Milord.

These were gold plated and then lacquered to protect the thin plating. Over time the remaining lacquer turns to an orange colour, where it has worn off if more gold.

You can see in this picture that it is also missing an endcap on one side - the grey areas show the underlying solder:



Compare that to the other side with the end cap



The first step is to clean up as indicated. The wiki has some great advice. Gold plated razors need to be treated with care because of the thin plating.

Green spots or areas are a result of the oxidation of the underlying brass - so the plating has worn through. You can clean it off but long term it will come back as the plating is compromised.

Clean it up and see if you are happy with it.

If you want perfection you will need to get a new end cap and a replate through one of the reliable vendors on here.

 

[MacDaddy]

As others have already said, what you've got there is a Gillette Milord. Specifically, it's a Milord from 1946 that's missing one of its end caps. That style with end caps and the smooth band above the TTO knob was only made in 1946; ones before the war were made without end caps, and in '47 they changed the band to be knurled like the rest of the handle.

I'm with jbradley in that I'd just do a light clean up on it and use it the way it is. However, if I were going to go through the trouble of a full replate on it I'd want to also find someone who could replace the missing end cap, too. Plating over a missing end cap just looks a bit junky.

 

[JaxJim]

Interesting-- my initial thought was this was a standard Milord in pretty good condition. But the lack of end caps along with the unknurled (?) band above the TTO knob are reminiscent of the 1941 Ranger Tech. Anyone know if Milord Ranger Techs were made?

 

[MacDaddy]

Interesting-- my initial thought was this was a standard Milord in pretty good condition. But the lack of end caps along with the unknurled (?) band above the TTO knob are reminiscent of the 1941 Ranger Tech. Anyone know if Milord Ranger Techs were made?

They were in both Milord (below) and Milady forms, but this isn't one of those. It's just missing an end cap on the one side.

 

[JaxJim]

Thanks, Porter!

 

[Simcon]

I never reflect on the missing endcap, it really made me confused on what model the razor was. However I've only used the razor once or twice, the shave was really good, yet very mild. A nice razor indeed. But due to the fact that I can see the green where the plating has worn off completely and where it's turned orange, I'm somewhat hesitant to use it before it's replated. I earlier used a swap with some water to remove the worst that was on it earlier, haven't dared to try any chemicals on it. So what's this "scrubbing bubbles" everyone is mentioning? Seems to be a brand of some sort, but the product that I found are chemicals containing chloride in different chemical compositions which wouldn't be good for the gold plating? If not harmful, or am I missing something? Just wish I could have asked my grandfather how it ended up in Sweden and how he got it.

Thanks for the great pictures. It's a beautiful family heirloom. I think that razor is called a Gillette Milord. They have a very good reputation.

I totally agree with cleaning it up using scrubbing bubbles and the like, but it already looks better than many of the razors I use regularly. The missing end cap is cosmetic only -- should not affect the shave. If the twist-to-open mechanism functions properly, I'd clean it up a little, slip in a blade, and take it out for a spin.

Tried it once I got it home, a nice shave, it’s functioning well and that cap is cosmetic. But the oxidation isn’t entirely cosmetic, the plating has been removed and damage at those parts.

If you mean restoring it to its full glory .. like replating it .. then you need a specialist.

But that razor looks in good shape .. the green stuff will come out easily with the tip above (scrubbing bubbles and tooth brush). Do the doors open nice? evenly?

only thing i see missing is one end cap (don't know how easy is to replace it) .. and some plating loss .. clean it up and see how you stand then

The doors open very well if you hold it in the knob and rotate the top, a minor squeak when you start turning, but apart from that it’s all smooth. There’s a barely noticeable difference in height when the doors start to open, but nothing major.

As has been said it is a Milord.

These were gold plated and then lacquered to protect the thin plating. Over time the remaining lacquer turns to an orange colour, where it has worn off if more gold.

You can see in this picture that it is also missing an endcap on one side - the grey areas show the underlying solder:


Compare that to the other side with the end cap


The first step is to clean up as indicated. The wiki has some great advice. Gold plated razors need to be treated with care because of the thin plating.

Green spots or areas are a result of the oxidation of the underlying brass - so the plating has worn through. You can clean it off but long term it will come back as the plating is compromised.

Clean it up and see if you are happy with it.

If you want perfection you will need to get a new end cap and a replate through one of the reliable vendors on here.

Yep, the oxidation on the razor is what made me think it was in a rather bad condition and could use a restoration, I don't think it will be too good to use until it's been resolved.

As others have already said, what you've got there is a Gillette Milord. Specifically, it's a Milord from 1946 that's missing one of its end caps. That style with end caps and the smooth band above the TTO knob was only made in 1946; ones before the war were made without end caps, and in '47 they changed the band to be knurled like the rest of the handle.

I'm with jbradley in that I'd just do a light clean up on it and use it the way it is. However, if I were going to go through the trouble of a full replate on it I'd want to also find someone who could replace the missing end cap, too. Plating over a missing end cap just looks a bit junky.

Seems to be a 1946 Gillette Ranger Tech, all the text on the razor and the look seems to be virtually identical.
http://www.razorarchive.com/1946-gillette-ranger-tech



I was thinking about doing a full restoration of the razor, replating and restoring that end cap. Bringing it up to near-mint condition and ready for heavy usage again. But I’m not sure who could do it, and how expensive it would be. If it would be too pricey, I’d simply have to wait a few years until I’m done with my education and can afford proper care for the razor. But in the meantime I’m going to try to clean it properly and see what results I can achieve. What products are suitable for cleaning it with? What substances should I use and which should I avoid? Not sure if mentioning brands will help since I doubt the same brands that are readily available in Sweden. I’m grateful for all help I’ve received so far.

 

[Vercin]

I cleaned mine with hot water and baking soda .. but its not gold plated .. and I don't know if the baking soda will have some negative effect on the gold plate.

the loss of plating is no trouble for use .. its brass under it .. but I guess it may lead to spreading of the gold plate loss (no experience there). If the blades sits good whit doors closed than its ok to shave with IMHO. But not sure about the gold plating as I said.

 

[jbradley]

Scrubbing Bubbles is a foaming bathroom cleaner. Most would probably be fine, but avoid bleach like the plague.
The tiny squeak isn't necessarily a bad thing. From what I understand, most squeaked a little when new. As long as it's smooth, nothing binding or catching, I wouldn't worry about that.
There is an European vendor on B&B, Onotoman. Shoot him a PM. I hear good things about his gold replated.

 

[MacDaddy]

Seems to be a 1946 Gillette Ranger Tech, all the text on the razor and the look seems to be virtually identical.
http://www.razorarchive.com/1946-gillette-ranger-tech

Other than the plating, yes, they're identical. The '46 Ranger Tech was nickel plated, where the Milord was gold. The '46 Ranger Tech is a lot less common, though.

 

[Simcon]

Other than the plating, yes, they're identical. The '46 Ranger Tech was nickel plated, where the Milord was gold. The '46 Ranger Tech is a lot less common, though.

Aha, so that's the difference, thanks

 

[Simcon]

Did some gentle cleaning of the razor using soft soap. Not to hot water + soap, left the razor in for 20 minutes and then used a soft toothbrush to clean the razor.

Pictures of the result:
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9403/wp20130320009.jpg
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3204/wp20130320013.jpg
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9053/wp20130320014.jpg
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/1922/wp20130320015.jpg
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3862/wp20130320016.jpg
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/7400/wp20130320018.jpg
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/1851/wp20130320020.jpg

Tried to make a few pictures of the comparison:
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3777/sideny.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6006/sideupp.jpg
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5301/sideupp2.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8593/side2ss.jpg
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6379/uppuv.jpg


Guess all it needed was a proper cleaning, will see how it will stand some shaving and see when the oxidation returns. The lost endcap still bothers me, so I’ll probably still investigate if that could be fixed. But apart from that, I’m rather amazed by how nice it is.

 

[Mark1966]

Did some gentle cleaning of the razor using soft soap. Not to hot water + soap, left the razor in for 20 minutes and then used a soft toothbrush to clean the razor.

Guess all it needed was a proper cleaning, will see how it will stand some shaving and see when the oxidation returns. The lost endcap still bothers me, so I’ll probably still investigate if that could be fixed. But apart from that, I’m rather amazed by how nice it is.

Great job! Scrubbing Bubbles is a US product that the rest of the world lives without and you seem to have done very well without

The oxidation will take a while and is most likely going to be no really noticeable during regular use. Onotoman of Restored Razors comes highly recommended and would be likely to be able to replace an end cap if one can be obtained