New Member, Fatboy problem.

[Gilletteman11]

Hi
I'm a new member but i've been reading the posts on this site for awhile now. I've been wet shaving for about 3 years now and in the last 2 years SCAD and RAD has hit me pretty bad. I now own about 40 DE razors and about 20 creams and soaps. lol
I'm hoping someone here can help me with a problem i've been having with my fatboy razor.
Recently i won a mint looking E4 1959 fatboy off ebay. The razor shaves great but there seems to be a weird problem with the adjustment. By habit i always adjust my adjustable razors with the doors slightly loose as i don't want to put too much strain on the internal mechanism. When i adjust my fatboy from 1-9 it adjusts perfectly, the knob clicks on each setting and the plate moves up correctly. The problem is when i try to adjust it downwards from 9-1. The knob clicks on each setting but the plate doesn't move, it always remains on the higher setting, and the only way for me to get it down to a lower setting is to close and tighten the silo doors and this pushes the plate down to my lower desired setting.
It only get's weirder from here. The other day i decided to try and adjust the razor with the doors completely closed and guess what, it adjusts perfectly both up and down! But with the doors slightly loose or open it will only adjust upwards.
I own a 63 adjustable slim and a 69 super adjustable and they both adjust perfecly with the doors loose so i have no idea whats wrong with my fatboy. I don't think the internal mechanism is clogged because if it was it wouldn't adjust at all.
Does anyone know what could be wrong with it and what i could try to do to fix it. It's one of my favourite razors and gives a nice shave.
Thanks
Vince

[amishmotorboat]

It sounds exactly like there's some gunk clogging up the adjustment plate.
It adjusts perfectly with the doors closed because the spring pressure is enough to force the plate down. Give it a soaking and see if that helps.

[Gilletteman11]

Hi
I've tried that. When the razor arrived i cleaned it with some dishwashing liquid and very hot water then i soaked it overnight in some isopropyl alcohol. No difference
Should i maybe try boiling it for a few minutes or maybe adding some machine oil to the plate?

[Roobaix]

It sounds exactly like there's some gunk clogging up the adjustment plate.
It adjusts perfectly with the doors closed because the spring pressure is enough to force the plate down. Give it a soaking and see if that helps.

+1. 50 years of gunk could possibly be in that thing. You might be surprised!

[SilverKarn]

How will you boil the razor, NEVER put the razor directly in a pot of boiling water in contact with the bottom of the pan.

I would try to oil first.

[Roobaix]

It may need more than an overnight soak, sometimes they take days or weeks...

[Greyfox]

Welcome to B&B.

[amishmotorboat]

excessive soaking CAN take the numbers off, just so you know.

[Gilletteman11]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Usually when i boil a razor i'll just boil some water in a kettle, pour it into a container and place the razor inside and leave it there until the water cools.I never did this with the fatboy because the razor arrived in pristine condition, infact it almost looked like a NOS razor, it's that nice.
I'll give that a try, then i'll soak it for a couple of days in some alcohol.
Hopefully fingers crossed it will work.

[GreekGuy]

This is not uncommon at all. I would STRONGLY urge you not to do anything. I've fixed my fair share of fatboys, as the current documentary I'm doing shows.

Its your razor, and none of these suggestions are bad, but I have a feeling you are going to end up doing more harm than good.

[Go West Young Man]

I'll give that a try, then i'll soak it for a couple of days in some alcohol.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

Just keep soaking it in hot soapy water, and every few hours run it through it's paces - open and close the TTO, click up and down the settings - a few times. The goal is to gradually break up whatever is stuck in there.

[Copierguy]

Welcome to B&B.

If you have some Scrubbing Bubbles you might try opening the doors, spray the head and plate and move the plate up and down with your fingers. This works the plate up and down faster and you literally get a feel for your progress.

When cleaning things in general. Most things fall into two categories. Water based gunk or petroleum based gunk. If you are not getting the results you want with alcohol you may wish to try something like a water based cleaner like working in dish washing soapy water and or soaking in soapy water.

Remember it took years for the razor to get in it’s current state, so do not get discouraged if it take some time to undo this.

Good luck and tell us how it goes.

[Gilletteman11]

Thanks Guys
I'll give your suggestions a try.

[shanman]

Put it in a good ultrasonic, but keep everything from the dial up out of the cleaner, or the paint is gonzo.

[GreekGuy]

Since everyone seems so gung-ho on fixing this...


Since we are talking about a nickel version, the problem is caused by the accumulation of gunk in between the adjustor plate and the stem of the head. The safest method to fix this is to adjust the dial to 1, and move the plate up and down with your fingers. Eventually it will loosen up so that gravity alone will be able to pull the plate back down.

Another option is to soak it in hot soapy water. I would suggest using enough to dunk the head but not the dial.

[Pkrankow]

Canning jar with a shot of dish soap and water. Drop the razor in, put it on the shelf, ignore it for a few days. Then change the soapy water and play with it daily until the water stays clear for a day, then one more change with clean water to rinse.

Phil