Bought a 1971 Gillette Adjustable (Black Beauty ?) - what to look for

[Umma2gumma]

I just bought a 1971 dated adjustable with a black plastic handle (steel base plate) that seems to be in a fairly decent condition with some soap scum or plating loss on the inside. No rust, at least according to the photos

The razor should be here by the end of the week. This is my first vintage Gillette, all other razors I own are modern.

Hopefully it gets here in one piece... the first Gillette razor I bought was basically destroyed by USPS. (Could have been better packaged, but still...)

So, what should I be looking for other than the obvious stuff (misaligned TTO doors, non-working adjustment mechanism) ?

Any tuning / oiling that is recommended ?

What about cleaning and disinfection ? In case the usual soapy water, old toothbrush and a few toothpicks don't remove all dirt.

I assume it should be pretty safe to pour some rubbing alcohol over the head (not the handle) to disinfect it ?

 

[smartpc]

Soaking in hydrogen peroxide (3%) for about 15 minutes will disinfect the razor and will not damage the plastic parts

 

[spacemonkey42]

I normally use soap and a toothbrush, then rub the head with alcohol.

Question, don’t folks say that the steel base plate is the super adjustable and the plastic is the black beauty? I ask because I also have a 1971 super adjustable.

 

[brucered]

I would be careful cleaning the black parts with chemicals and solvents etc. It may discolor it.

 

[nemo]

Peroxide? Uh, no. Peroxide corrodes (oxidizes) aluminum.
Soap and toothbrush, as @brucered says, no harsh chemicals.
And that baseplate ... steel? If it's not brass I'll eat a bug.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Well probably brass… not plastic.

Although I could swear I saw some photos of similar razors with what looked like rust on the inside. Not the green corrosion you’d expect from brass, but the typical red rust.

 

[nemo]

I could swear I saw some photos of similar razors with what looked like rust on the inside. Not the green corrosion you’d expect from brass, but the typical red rust.

Usually that's from a forgotten carbon steel blade left in the poor thing for 40 years.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Usually that's from a forgotten carbon steel blade left in the poor thing for 40 years.

Oh, this makes sense then

 

[BigJ]

Peroxide? Uh, no. Peroxide corrodes (oxidizes) aluminum.
Soap and toothbrush, as @brucered says, no harsh chemicals.
And that baseplate ... steel? If it's not brass I'll eat a bug.

+1! And we cannot have you eating bugs, Sir!!

 

[smartpc]

Peroxide? Uh, no. Peroxide corrodes (oxidizes) aluminum.
Soap and toothbrush, as @brucered says, no harsh chemicals.
And that baseplate ... steel? If it's not brass I'll eat a bug.

Does Black Beauty have aluminum parts? It seemed to me that the metal parts were made of brass.

 

[Ratso]

I have quite a few Gillette adjustables.
Don’t forget that extra 1/4 turn when the blade is fully seated. A number of mine came in need of making that last 1/4 turn smoother or even possible. I found that filling the sink with hot water and dawn, then opening the doors, swishing the razor back and forth and working the doors repeatedly to the full close position always solved the issue. After that I oil the razor with sewing machine oil ( maybe that’s OCD other oils will work) and stand it on end to let the oil run down to places I can’t see. There’s lots of info on this at your disposal.

 

[nemo]

Does Black Beauty have aluminum parts? It seemed to me that the metal parts were made of brass.

Yes, the handle --- that's where all the adjustment mechanism is and why they are so hard to rebuild.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I have quite a few Gillette adjustables.
Don’t forget that extra 1/4 turn when the blade is fully seated. A number of mine came in need of making that last 1/4 turn smoother or even possible. I found that filling the sink with hot water and dawn, then opening the doors, swishing the razor back and forth and working the doors repeatedly to the full close position always solved the issue. After that I oil the razor with sewing machine oil ( maybe that’s OCD other oils will work) and stand it on end to let the oil run down to places I can’t see. There’s lots of info on this at your disposal.

Thanks. I assume CLP should work just as well as sewing machine oil ?

 

[Umma2gumma]

Well, it's here.

I expected some soap scum and perhaps minor pitting, but this razor has neither.

There's some cloudiness on top of the doors, could probably polish it but I am afraid to remove too much plating.

Some discoloration on the handle and no paint on numbers, which I used a Sharpie on.

Otherwise, everything seems to be in great shape and works fine, it does lock the last 1/4 turn.

Will try it first thing tomorrow morning.

 

[Ratso]

Thanks. I assume CLP should work just as well as sewing machine oil ?

I never tried it on razors or guns. Heck maybe it works better.

 

[Ratso]

Well, it's here.

I expected some soap scum and perhaps minor pitting, but this razor has neither.

There's some cloudiness on top of the doors, could probably polish it but I am afraid to remove too much plating.

Some discoloration on the handle and no paint on numbers, which I used a Sharpie on.

Otherwise, everything seems to be in great shape and works fine, it does lock the last 1/4 turn.

Will try it first thing tomorrow morning.

View attachment 1796341View attachment 1796342

I use Flitz polish in the bottle and a Terri cloth rag. I’ve never harmed my razors using it. Gold plating would require extra care.

 

[brucered]

Maas or similar and a Q-tip for the head.

(Testors) Black enamel hobby paint for the numbers. Sharpie will wear away and not something I'd recommend.

Fill in numbers as best you can with a fine tip brush, wipe off any extra after a minute or two, once the filled in is starting to set.

Search out threads on the general consensus method(s). There are a bunch of them.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I never tried it on razors or guns. Heck maybe it works better.

Works great on guns, that's for sure.

 

[Quaznoid]

The handle on the SuperAdjustable is not plastic. And only those made after ‘77 with the nylon base plate are “Black Beauties”. It is the best adjustable razor ever made IMHO.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Yeah, I’ve figured the handle material out by now

As to the best ever made - that is a very “YMMV” thingy. For me, the best adjustable ever made is Parker Variant OC which is both smooth and efficient even at lower settings, very closely followed by the original Variant. My Super 109 is a great razor, but a little too mild unless I open it up to 7-9 where it gets more efficient but less smooth. I need to spend more time shaving with it before I pass judgement, though.