Found an Interesting link

[The*Cincinnati*Kid]

http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/One-Piece%20solid%20guard%20bar/solid%20guard%20bar.htm

Helped me find out that I bid on a 51 SS black tip that has a W3 aluminum handle and a W4 head on the bay, trying to get the seller to retract my bid, but we will see if they do or not.:crying:

[MacDaddy]

The pics that Achim shows aren't the only way the razors came. I'm not aware of any reason you couldn't have an aluminum handled W-4. The aluminum and steel parts were because they were in the middle of a brass shortage caused by the Korean War. Also, it would be extremely unlikely that someone would swap parts on a Black Tip -- just not worth it.

[The*Cincinnati*Kid]

Is it possible to swap parts? Why would two W4 date coded razors have different handles, made at different places?

Regards
Louis

[Mako72]

The pics that Achim shows aren't the only way the razors came. I'm not aware of any reason you couldn't have an aluminum handled W-4. The aluminum and steel parts were because they were in the middle of a brass shortage caused by the Korean War. Also, it would be extremely unlikely that someone would swap parts on a Black Tip -- just not worth it.

This. Plus the W3 & W4 are date codes for 1951, 3rd and 4th Quarters. To the best of my knowledge the razor handles weren't marked. Both steel handles and aluminum handles were probably made on the same line at the same times. Yours is probably just a W4 with a aluminum handle. No need to retract your bid, IMO.

Jay

[MacDaddy]

Is it possible to swap parts?

Anything's possible, but it would be unbelievably difficult and in no way worth doing. Separating the guardplate from the handle -- the two parts you're worried about not matching -- would be the most difficult thing to do cleanly. You'd have to remove the razor head assembly from the handle and then successfully uncrimp the handle's connection to the guardplate or pull the neck from the handle tube. Then you'd have to successfully transplant it to the new handle. It's just not going to happen for a razor that's worth what a Black Tip's worth.


Why would two W4 date coded razors have different handles, made at different places?

The steel and aluminum handles were substitutions for the brass parts because of the brass shortage I mentioned. There's really nothing that says they made changes between the two exactly at the start and end of a quarter. For all we know they were using whatever material they could get cheaply and in good quantity at the time. They may even have been making both simultaneously.

[The*Cincinnati*Kid]

Thanks fellas!

[Go West Young Man]

And if it was a 4th quarter head on a 3rd quarter handle, so what?