Restored 1930's Ball End

[conroygc]

I ended up with my girlfriend's great grandpa's safety razor to restore. I'm kicking myself for not taking before pictures...I didn't think it was going to clean up well so I didn't bother. I think it's a 1930's "New" razor, ball end. Feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong, I'm not good with model names.

All the plating was worn off the head piece and the ball was missing off the end. I cleaned it with toothpaste, Brasso, and soap and water to remove all the old gunk. Then I sanded the head piece with 300 - 1500 grit sandpaper, and the rest of the razor with 600-1500 grit sandpaper. Polished on the buffing wheels and with a little Maas, and here's the result.


Didn't bother removing all the scratches since this wasn't gonna be a beauty queen. Turned out pretty nice though!

 

[duderubble]

Looks nice.

 

[Capt]

Looks awesome! Post some before/after pics of the mess I sent ya! lol

 

[conroygc]

Looks awesome! Post some before/after pics of the mess I sent ya! lol

I gotta remember to start taking before pictures! I don't have any of those razors either.

 

[Joe D]

I remember one of our B&B members suggesting to spray that with clear lacquer, like Testors Gloss clear coat, or the red brass cap will tarnish green pretty quickly. I think the gold is ok, though.

Here's a related thread: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...bout-removing-lacquer-from-gold-plated-razors

 

[Jeff_H]

That razor will be a heck of a shaver. If you like the way it shaves, you can get a replacement handle for it cheap. Also, it would likely be a candidate for a replate if you really like the way it shaves. You would need to get any deep scratches out. A good replater may be able to help you with that if you can't or don't have the ability.

The NEW is one of the better shaving razors available as far as I'm concerned. I love both the short combs and the new combs. If you have any modern handles like from an EJ, Muhle, Merkur, Weber, Cadet...almost anything....screw it on as it will likely fit. See how you like the shave with a longer, heavier handle on it. My favorite way to shave with a new is either on my 4" brass handled Cadet or my 4" Weber Classic stainless steel handle. It makes a world of difference to me.

 

[conroygc]

Joe D, thank you, that's good advice. I'll look into it.

Jeff_H This one is actually being returned to the son of the original owner (who is in his 70's). I think it's more of a family heirloom and I'm not sure if he'll ever shave with it. However I have an old open comb sitting under a sink somewhere, I'm gonna pull that out clean it up!
Have you had a razor replated before? I was checking out the video from ... I think it was restoredrazor. They look amazing when they're done.

 

[mswofford]

Conner; Actually you have a "bar" handle, not a ball end. The common bar handle is far more desireable to me; ball ends freqently are cracked. That's not a problem with bar handles. That is one beautiful razor; you did a super job cleaning it up! I'm the one who posted about Testors. Google "testors#28139". It's a 3 oz. spray can of thin gloss lacquer designed for models for about $5.00. I have not used it myself but it looks like just the thing for us.

 

[conroygc]

Conner; Actually you have a "bar" handle, not a ball end. The common bar handle is far more desireable to me; ball ends freqently are cracked. That's not a problem with bar handles. That is one beautiful razor; you did a super job cleaning it up!

Thanks Mike! The picture doesn't show it, but the handle is a hollow tube. There's a hairline crack on both ends. The bar handles are solid, right? I used to have bar handle Gillette, that was a great razor.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Very nice! The crack shouldn't be an issue, they've been cracked for decades. You can know sell it for $58.98 BUY IT NOW on the bay.

 

[mswofford]

Thanks Mike! The picture doesn't show it, but the handle is a hollow tube. There's a hairline crack on both ends. The bar handles are solid, right? I used to have bar handle Gillette, that was a great razor.

I guess I'm looking at the picture wrong. My experience with old ball ends is that they are hollow with with two ends. Bar handles are also hollow with one end that screws to the razor head. Check out Mr_Razor website for pics of Gillette NEWs with various handles. Ball end handles are 3 piece and bar handles are 2 piece.

 

[conroygc]

I guess I'm looking at the picture wrong. My experience with old ball ends is that they are hollow with with two ends. Bar handles are also hollow with one end that screws to the razor head. Check out Mr_Razor website for pics of Gillette NEWs with various handles. Ball end handles are 3 piece and bar handles are 2 piece.

I did some more research and it's a ball end. I was even able to track down the missing end piece with gold plating, so the razor will be complete again!
The razor is almost the same as this one except it's made in the USA and doesn't have the numbers on the bottom of the handle.