I just go my first ABC Pocket razor (I'm still on the hunt for either a floral or empire design one if anybody could be persuaded to part with one...). It is a floral case with the shell handle design. At least, I think that's what this handle is called. In any event, I found a suggestion from AsylumGuido on the boards here to line a container with tin foil and pour a diluted mixture of baking soda and water into the container with the razor in it worked wonderfully to clean up the razor! It is nice and shiny for being from 1914 (date code of C492642)!
I'm not so sure what to do about the case. I used a paper towel to wipe some of the gunk off the top which made the floral etchings stand out quite nicely in silver against the more blackish/tarnished look of the rest of the case. It does look sharp (at least I kind of think so). Now, I'm debating about whether to just leave it as is or try to bring the whole thing to a nice shine...hmm...any thoughts?
Also, the innards of the case are in pretty poor shape. I'm thinking I may try to redo the felt. I'm not really a collector, so keeping it in original condition is not essential for me. I was thinking I could try to save the gillette patch and sew it into the felt of a new lining. Any thoughts or tips on where to pick up some really thin felt for this? What color felt were these originally? It seems like a dark navy blue almost to a kind of purple, but I can't quite tell. I found this thread that talks about redoing a felt lining. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=92858&highlight=felt+lining . Does anybody else know of any different methods or is this the way to go? Should I try to salvage the original metal trays or make new ones?
I'm not so sure what to do about the case. I used a paper towel to wipe some of the gunk off the top which made the floral etchings stand out quite nicely in silver against the more blackish/tarnished look of the rest of the case. It does look sharp (at least I kind of think so). Now, I'm debating about whether to just leave it as is or try to bring the whole thing to a nice shine...hmm...any thoughts?
Also, the innards of the case are in pretty poor shape. I'm thinking I may try to redo the felt. I'm not really a collector, so keeping it in original condition is not essential for me. I was thinking I could try to save the gillette patch and sew it into the felt of a new lining. Any thoughts or tips on where to pick up some really thin felt for this? What color felt were these originally? It seems like a dark navy blue almost to a kind of purple, but I can't quite tell. I found this thread that talks about redoing a felt lining. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=92858&highlight=felt+lining . Does anybody else know of any different methods or is this the way to go? Should I try to salvage the original metal trays or make new ones?
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