Why is it so difficult to find vintage Merkurs?

[Petesurfer]

Hi,

I'm looking for a vintage Merkur progress, I haven't found a single vintage Merkur razor of any type on the whole (the bay, other auction sites, etc...). Did Merkur go by another name back in the day?

 

[cooncatbob]

Merkurs are made from plated pot metal, once the plating has been breached they quickly corrode.
The German shaving forum has pictures of vintage Merkurs as well as othe German razors that are no more.
Look under The Plane, General Plane, Show me your plane, the topic is currently 156 pages.
http://translate.google.com/transla...forum/index.php&hl=en&newwindow=1&rls=ig&sa=G

 

[Dave Deluxe]

"Why is it so difficult to find vintage Merkurs?"

Could be their "water soluble" finish, they eventually just dissolve away.

DD

 

[Petesurfer]

Merkurs are made from plated pot metal, once the plating has been breached they quickly corrode.
The German shaving forum has pictures of vintage Merkurs as well as othe German razors that are no more.
Look under The Plane, General Plane, Show me your plane, the topic is currently 156 pages.
http://translate.google.com/transla...forum/index.php&hl=en&newwindow=1&rls=ig&sa=G

The German forum there you showed me is so interesting, they have really strange razors. The one on the right looks like a progress on steroids.
View attachment 109817

With respect to the plating, did Gilletes have the same problem?

 

[dalecooper51]

That one looks like a Stahly Live Blade.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21828

 

[luvmysuper]

With respect to the plating, did Gilletes have the same problem?

Gillette is known primarliy for Nickel plate on brass base.
Though Gillette did use silver, gold and rhodium as plating on some models, as well as steel, copper and aluminum as base metal for some parts.

 

[Petesurfer]

Gillette is known primarliy for Nickel plate on brass base.
Though Gillette did use silver, gold and rhodium as plating on some models, as well as steel, copper and aluminum as base metal for some parts.

So does the type of plating used on the Gillettes resist better the pass of time than the one used on the Merkurs? Is that why there's so many vintage Gillettes around and practically no vintage Merkurs?

 

[michiganlover]

So does the type of plating used on the Gillettes resist better the pass of time than the one used on the Merkurs? Is that why there's so many vintage Gillettes around and practically no vintage Merkurs?

I think the difference has less to do with plating, and more to do with the underlying base material (brass for Gillette, and Pot Metal for Merkur).

There are Gillette's suffering from nearly all plating loss that still work perfectly. However, once the plating is worn off of pot metal (aka white metal, aka zinc) it quickly deteriorates when exposed to air, and other environmental factors. Pot metal is a pretty low end material, and usually associated with cheaply made, junk products.

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Pot metal can be prone to instability over time, as it has a tendency to bend, distort, crack, shatter, and pit with age. The low boiling point of zinc and the fast cooling of the newly-cast part often allow air bubbles to remain within the cast part, weakening the metal. Many of the components of pot metal are susceptible to corrosion from airborne acids and other contaminants, and the internal corrosion of the metal often causes the decorative plating to flake off. Pot metal is not easily glued, soldered or welded.

 

[luvmysuper]

So does the type of plating used on the Gillettes resist better the pass of time than the one used on the Merkurs? Is that why there's so many vintage Gillettes around and practically no vintage Merkurs?

Well, first of all, there are "vintage" Merkurs out there.
Gillette's abound partly because they churned them out by the millions, that may have more to do with it than the base metal chosen, but in any case longevity of the razor has more to do with the base metal than the plating, as eventually all plating wears with use.