I have quite a few Gillette safety razors that seem to have no plating loss on the whole razor, except under the head. Nothing is rubbing/wearing the razor under the head. I was thinking the plate loss might be due to a chemical reaction with the plating and the shaving cream they used in the day? I am talking mostly about 1940's and 1950's Super Speeds. A lot of people didn't rinse their razors after a shave, so I wonder with the residure shaving cream sitting on the razor might have contributed to loss of some plating down to the brass?
What causes plating loss under some razor's heads?
- Thread starter polod
- Start date
The general consensus is that of anywhere on the razor, under the head is where the absolute thinnest layer of plating is.
General wipe up and cleaning over a number of years is sufficient to wear through the plate in this area.
The way it was situated in the plating process prevented full plating there, and Gillette probably didn't worry about it too much, it is not particularly visible, it has no effect on the viability of the razor and Gillette probably never envisioned a bunch of nuts scooping up their razors 60 to 100 years after they were made.
It's a known Gillette weakness.
General wipe up and cleaning over a number of years is sufficient to wear through the plate in this area.
The way it was situated in the plating process prevented full plating there, and Gillette probably didn't worry about it too much, it is not particularly visible, it has no effect on the viability of the razor and Gillette probably never envisioned a bunch of nuts scooping up their razors 60 to 100 years after they were made.
It's a known Gillette weakness.
Another thing maybe causes it is that a lot of people left the blade in the razor and over time maybe reaction of dissimilar metals caused the plating to dissolve/come off, specially on the adjuster bars of fatboys and slims or in your case where the blade touches the bottom plate
I think you hit the nail on the head. I just cleaned a Red Tip up, and the only place there was brassing was underneath the head where there was a good amount old soap scum stuck there. As soon as I started to clean that area off, off came the plating.
I'll have to go home to look, but I can't say this is the case with the Old Types. The silver plating is usually pretty good under the head. I don't have that many examples though.
-jim
No not the Old Types. I find they probably have the best plating of any of the Gillettes, especially the Double and Single Ring models. The problem is mostly with the Super Speeds.
Len
- Thread starter
- #8
Too bad Gillette didn't plate their U.S. razor in Rhodium. The U.K. ones I believe are. I noticed none of my British Gillette razors have any plate loss. Rhodium is a member of the Platinum (transition metals) and is chemically inert, so nothing would attach the plating, unlike chrome. I know the British razors are built better, heavier and used better plating.
I thought vintage Gillette DEs were either silver, gold or nickel?
Silver is nice, but it tarnishes. Gold seems to wear off easily, but nickel seems to be tough and moderately shiny. I do like nickel, but I think I am factoring in cost into the equation.
-jim
Vintage US Gillettes. The other side of the pond has tastes that lean towards the finer things. They don't even use nickel in their coins. Some countries over there ban it because their citizens are allergic to it.
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