Retainer Ring on Merkur Progress

[Foyle]

Last night I changed out the blade in my Progress. When I re-assembled the razor, I noticed that the adjustment knob turned a little roughly. It looks like the retainer ring that holds the adjustment knob in the barrel when the razor is opened up is getting a little boogered up. Should I just pop that ring off? Will that smooth up the adjustment? I thought I heard somewhere that part of the Mergress tuned up was getting rid of that ring.

P.S.
I threaded the adjustment knob onto the post on the head without the handle just to make sure the it wasn't the threads on either of those pieces. Everything turns smoothly there.

 

[dougr]

You will have to email Merkur for a new ring and it is difficult to install. It is not meant to remove....voice of experience here, unfortunately. I had mine converted to a Mergress and never got the ring back on. It is not like the Futur and Vision which can be easily taken apart. Doug

 

[dpm802]

The retainer ring can be bent back into shape if it became misaligned ... but I would recommend just leaving it out entirely. Its not necessary, and it serves no function during actual shaving.

 

[celestino]

Couldn't you just clean it up but giving it a soak in Srubbing Bubbles or adding a bit of good grease to eliminate the roughness?

 

[Foyle]

It's plenty clean. I take it apart every blade change to clean it. The roughness just started yesterday, and I noticed that retainer ring is a little warped. I'm thinking that's the culprit.

 

[Zeppelinkarte]

I have several Progress/Mergress and have removed the ring in all cases. It is easier to assemble and disassemble for cleaning. The knob assembly should come out of the handle so you can dry inside the handle. Otherwise stuff builds up there and can cause problems. Just have to remember the ring is not there so the knob assembly can fall out of the handle if you are not paying attention when removing the blade. Ring serves no purpose while shaving. There to retain the knob assembly inside the handle. Makes the whole thing a lot easier to operate. Save it and reinstall if you ever sell the razor.

I also occasionally will run the threaded end of the cap over a bar of glycerine soap and thread it on the knob assembly a couple of times outside the handle to kind of lubricate the two pieces that screw together. Seems to lubricate the threads without oil and makes the adjustment feature work a little smoother. And it is nothing that will hurt the razor...just soap.