Restoration of Otto Roth
- Thread starter NEROWONDER
- Start date
You are posted in straight razor land, but anyway Back Roads Gold is great for re-plating.
Myself, one finish, not a mix of two. Gold would be the original look. I have a BRG Goodwill in gold that is excellently done.
I have a New Short Comb plated in rhodium and I love it.
Myself, one finish, not a mix of two. Gold would be the original look. I have a BRG Goodwill in gold that is excellently done.
I have a New Short Comb plated in rhodium and I love it.
lasta
Blade Biter
Looks to be in decent mechanical condition. Metal polish and some elbow grease.
My Evil Otto says
"Replate me and I will replate your face"
Evil Otto does have an attitude problem sometimes. He demands excellent technique.
He can come over as a little spikey. Remember that he was a budget New LC in the Gillette lineup. His fangs are slightly less refined than the slightly more pricy New long combs in the Gillette range in the period.
But when he is in a good mood he gives an outstanding shave.
I say leave as is. A good soak with dishwashing liquid in hot water for about 30 mins and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush will put Otto in a tractable mood.
B.t.w that looks to be a common bar handle. The Roth had a thin bar handle which appears to be unique to the model.
The 501 Special Set also used the thin common bar handle, Although the 501 handle seems to have slightly more knurling at the top.
Enjoy!
"Replate me and I will replate your face"
Evil Otto does have an attitude problem sometimes. He demands excellent technique.
He can come over as a little spikey. Remember that he was a budget New LC in the Gillette lineup. His fangs are slightly less refined than the slightly more pricy New long combs in the Gillette range in the period.
But when he is in a good mood he gives an outstanding shave.
I say leave as is. A good soak with dishwashing liquid in hot water for about 30 mins and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush will put Otto in a tractable mood.
B.t.w that looks to be a common bar handle. The Roth had a thin bar handle which appears to be unique to the model.
The 501 Special Set also used the thin common bar handle, Although the 501 handle seems to have slightly more knurling at the top.
Enjoy!
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EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I would leave it as it is as right now it has character and interest. If you 'restore' it then, for me, it will be just another shiny razor, shiny but dull. Good luck with whatever you decide 
lasta
Blade Biter
The shiny look is not for everyone, but for me it is a must!
That being said (and no knock on Back Roads Gold), I'd rather polish something myself than send it out. I've seen some of the results from 3rd party restorers. Excellent shine, but also signs of excessive material removal.
Caps and baseplates will come back to you noticeably thinner and the razor will be more aggressive than it was originally intended.
That is not mentioning the rounding of edges from restoration jobs. Somehow, Gillette found a way to get a mirror polished finish, while still maintaining sharp corners.
That being said (and no knock on Back Roads Gold), I'd rather polish something myself than send it out. I've seen some of the results from 3rd party restorers. Excellent shine, but also signs of excessive material removal.
Caps and baseplates will come back to you noticeably thinner and the razor will be more aggressive than it was originally intended.
That is not mentioning the rounding of edges from restoration jobs. Somehow, Gillette found a way to get a mirror polished finish, while still maintaining sharp corners.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks, yeah I have been in conversation with him, seems like that is where I will go…
- Thread starter
- #8
The photo was taken after a mild Noxon clean…it tarnishes after a month or two…
lasta
Blade Biter
Never tried Noxon, but I assume it works like any other metal polish? Just need more work.
The one on the left was polished 6 months ago, right about a year. Wipe dry after use and theyll stay shiny for quite a while.
My Evil Otto says
"Replate me and I will replate your face"
View attachment 1767842
Evil Otto does have an attitude problem sometimes. He demands excellent technique.
He can come over as a little spikey. Remember that he was a budget New LC in the Gillette lineup. His fangs are slightly less refined than the slightly more pricy New long combs in the Gillette range in the period.
But when he is in a good mood he gives an outstanding shave.
I say leave as is. A good soak with dishwashing liquid in hot water for about 30 mins and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush will put Otto in a tractable mood.
B.t.w that looks to be a common bar handle. The Roth had a thin bar handle which appears to be unique to the model.
The 501 Special Set also used the thin common bar handle, Although the 501 handle seems to have slightly more knurling at the top.
Enjoy!
Great outline of a classic!!
- Thread starter
- #11
Unfortunately on my Otto, it looks like the plating is all worn off on the cap and handle down to the brass
lasta
Blade Biter
It's ok, easier to polish without the gold wash. Mine are all bare brass anyways.
I have one that I haven’t had replated. Never felt the need to. My slim aristocrat on the other hand does need it. When I eventually get it done I plan on sending it to BRG
ALL gold 
you got youself a head tapper there [most some old men were comb tappers][you got a head tapper] some metal will have to go, don't send it to me, I don't do it gently I get the 60 grit angle grinder into them
........God....... errr King G was dealing with newly cast or machined brass made/cast/machined yesterday, he weren't taking off the plating he were putting it on
you got youself a head tapper there [
The Big G
My Otto Roth razor had the Otto Roth stamped out and the Gillette logo installed. I still call it an Otto Roth! Mine from the Bay came already replated in Rhodium and is in excellent condition. Are you saying that there may be some geometrical differences between Otto and Gillette versions? I seem to get approximately the same shave quality from both the Otto Roth and my two Short Combs. So do you believe there is a noticeable difference between the Otto model and the Gillette? Just curious I guess.My Evil Otto says
"Replate me and I will replate your face"
View attachment 1767842
Evil Otto does have an attitude problem sometimes. He demands excellent technique.
He can come over as a little spikey. Remember that he was a budget New LC in the Gillette lineup. His fangs are slightly less refined than the slightly more pricy New long combs in the Gillette range in the period.
But when he is in a good mood he gives an outstanding shave.
I say leave as is. A good soak with dishwashing liquid in hot water for about 30 mins and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush will put Otto in a tractable mood.
B.t.w that looks to be a common bar handle. The Roth had a thin bar handle which appears to be unique to the model.
The 501 Special Set also used the thin common bar handle, Although the 501 handle seems to have slightly more knurling at the top.
Enjoy!
I have an Otto Roth and Gillette version of the NEW LC. Both were the gold plated versions. Shave wise there’s no difference between them from my experience. The only difference between them to my knowledge is branding. I’d like to eventually find one that has both the Otto Roth and Gillette markings so I can have the baseplate trifecta
I'm just theorising that the OR's were a seperate sub-brand in the Gillette stable and I believe were a more budget model from the NEW LC. I get a subtle difference in shave between them. The OR is slightly harsher. The teeth seem a little thinner and a little 'spiky' which I believe accounts for that.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Evil Otto! But I'm merely making the supposition that there may be a subtle difference in the teeth build. The geometry seems the same.
It gives a fantastic shave but seems to demand a little more care. My OR example is mechanically perfect by the way.
Just an observation based on use.
Thanks for your info! I seem to recall a slight harshness with the OR and maybe that is why I end up using the SCs more often. I just thought it was the LC configuration and that it would the same as the normal Gillette. Bad or defective assumption on my part most likely. As far as the two LC versions, I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart, I'm still an amateur at this game!
Very true.
I've re-plated some, and the corners of the top cap do get rounded a bit if sanded by hand or using small wheels.
I'm guessing that if sanded by hand on a hard, flat surface you could better maintain the flat corners, but you would still inevitably remove some material.
To the OP:
I've got both"versions" of the Long Comb and Short Comb...original condition, just cleaned up and still exhibiting natural signs of age and wear, and re-plated (nickel) examples.
All seem to shave well, so really, it comes down to your preference. My opinion, if you are set on getting it re-plated, is to go with gold to keep it correct.
All of my re-plated razors are nickel because I did them myself and working with nickel is inexpensive, and relatively simple to do at home.
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