Another restore question

Got my first two "new" razors. Stopped at the antique store since it was raining and I couldn't do anything else. At this point I've soaked them in soapy water and took a toothbrush and paste to them. One has a fair amount of the brass plating missing on the head. The other has one piece of the head very shiny and the other very tarnished. Can I use something like Brasso? Will Flitz work, or hurt the brass? How about the knurled handles? How about a soak in Simple Green? Any other ideas?

Thanks.

Mark

try scrubbing bubbles, then a little maas polish should bring back a little shine....

Could you post a better pic of the patent stamp, also a pic of the underside of the head of the second one?

+1 for MAAS, good suff.

Your first razor is a Gillette NEW. They were produced with a very thin gold wash that did not stand up well to time and use. Using MAAS or any similar polishing paste on the head will quickly remove the remaining gold, leaving the bare copper (not brass) showing. Some like the copper-top look, others cry at the sight . . .

I'm with M80 on the second one . . . what is that???

BBrad said:

I'm with M80 on the second one . . . what is that???

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It's a Cooper razor. I have a silver one just like it. I have the base plate flipped the other way from the one in the OP's picture so you can see the Cooper name, but it is identical. It's a really cool razor and definitely on a par (or even better) with any of my old Gillette's.

The Cooper is a nice find. Congrats

Yes, Cooper. I finally got enough of the grunge cleaned off to read it. Is this gold plate as well? The dark piece in the picture is still very dark. Any ideas to brighten in up? I soaked a flare tip overnight in 50% peroxide...and the grunge melted right off. Think it will hurt this?

Any good was to clean the knurled part other than scrub,scrub scrub?

Mark

M80 said:

Could you post a better pic of the patent stamp, also a pic of the underside of the head of the second one?

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It says, PAT. JAN 13. 1920 U.S.A. and the second line is OTHER PATENTS PENDING


If I read the Wiki correctly, the closest one can come to dating is "the 1930's". Correct?

Mark

It looks like a ball-end handle NEW from the 1930s - which, confusingly, did carry the 1920 patent.

It looks like your handle has been removed and re-assembled with the patent date at the top - it's usually seen at the ball end, as it were.

Here's a pic from the oracle, Mr Razor, of an NOS version:


Your original question about cleaning/polishing. . . the best cleaning method for me is to soak in Lysol and scrub in dishwashing detergent with a toothbrush. (Soaking in soap scum remover, such as Tilex, also works for me, particularly to clean the crud out from between the teeth.)

As for polishing - you are going to run the risk of hurting the gold wash, which is very thin on these Depression-era razors. A rub with a T-shirt is about as far as I'd go. As it were.

Or you can take it down to the brass. . .

Thanks for the info. pretty sad condition when I picked it up, but this is what I learned to shave with in the 60's. Still looking for that old razor, too.

Mark

For cleaning the knurling I tried various cleaners and a tooth brush to no avail. I was able to clean even the finest knurling by using a .22 cal. brass bore brush. Use it GENTLY and with care. For polishing I've been using Flitz Polish, it contains NO ammonia and it safe enough for use in a rifle barrel sooooooooooooooooo!

Great shavers, those long comb NEWs. I like to use a Feather in mine for that perfect shave. Congrats!

Duke of Buckingham said:

It looks like a ball-end handle NEW from the 1930s - which, confusingly, did carry the 1920 patent.

It looks like your handle has been removed and re-assembled with the patent date at the top - it's usually seen at the ball end, as it were.

Here's a pic from the oracle, Mr Razor, of an NOS version:

As for polishing - you are going to run the risk of hurting the gold wash, which is very thin on these Depression-era razors. A rub with a T-shirt is about as far as I'd go. As it were.

Or you can take it down to the brass. . .

Click to expand...

I have one of these right now, and when i first got it, I was super confused about about the Patent date, because everywhere I read said they were from the 30's, turns out that the design was patented long before the production run of the Ball Handle New.