Sentimental score

**dgilman** · 06-20-2011, 01:42 PM

Since I'm now Stateside again, I finally have the chance to catch up on shaving products not produced by Lord Company. (Hurrah!) Before I got back, I thought of asking my grandmother if she had any old razors lying around that I might take off her hands. She said she thought so, and she'd put it aside if she found it.

When I saw her again, she presented me with an old DE razor that had belonged to my grandfather, and has sat in a medicine cabinet for decades. I recognized it immediately as a Super Speed, and if I did my homework right (no easy task when B&B is down for maintenance!), it is a ‘dateless’ 48-50 model. It seems to be in pretty good shape, with only a little soap scum inside the handle and some discoloration from use — nothing that a little gentle cleanser and a q-tip couldn’t remedy.

I notice that the silo doors don’t open totally smoothly: one of them doesn’t seem fully tethered at certain points in the arc, and kind of falls open slackly where the other one opens and closes with a very smooth and clockwork motion. No doubt the thing saw a lot of use until my grandfather, gadget freak that he was, switched to an electric. I don’t expect this to be a problem for my own use, although it makes me wonder if I should bother to put it into heavy rotation: a B&Ber PIFed me a 1952 40s-style SS in perfect working order, and I doubt there’s much difference between the two in quality or feel.

Anyway, I know it’s a fairly common scenario to acquire deceased relatives’ razors, and SS must be among the most common models to find, but I still feel like I made a bit of a score. Behold: Grandpop’s razor.

**Sledgehammer39** · 06-20-2011, 01:48 PM

Congrats, super score.. Marvelous razor.

**bassmanlarry** · 06-20-2011, 01:51 PM

Great score and a great razor and it being your grandfather's makes it that much better.

**MacDaddy** · 06-20-2011, 02:51 PM

Even if you don't decide to use it in your regular rotation, you could use it on special occasions like your grandfather's birthday.

**Greyfox** · 06-20-2011, 02:52 PM

It's great score. Congrats.

**MacDaddy** · 06-20-2011, 03:05 PM

Forgot to mention that you can narrow the date down further by the inscription on the inside. At some point either in '49 or '50 (I've seen both dates quoted) it changed from "PAT. NOS. ON (*) PACKAGE" to "PAT. NOS. (*) ON PKG." where (*) represents the center post.

**Copierguy** · 06-20-2011, 04:25 PM

A piece from the family trumps rare any day of the week.

Congrats.....

**IronHammer** · 06-20-2011, 04:38 PM

Sentimental, family razors are the rarest, and therefore, the most valuable of all! Congrats on a getting your grandpa's razor. Enjoy those shaves!

**dilly-b** · 06-20-2011, 04:41 PM

I love my grandpa's '59 flare-tip! Even though I prefer more aggressive razors for daily use, I get a kick out of using his SS once in a while.

**Mark1966** · 06-20-2011, 04:46 PM

Great score - nothing beats family history!

**bkfist** · 06-20-2011, 10:48 PM

If you want to try loosening up the gunk inside, I can recommend PB Blaster. It's a penetrating oil that you should be able to pick up at any automotive store. I had my dad's old SS that was really stiff opening and closing. I sprayed a bit down the center tube, let it set upright for a couple of days, sprayed again, worked the mechanism, let sit for about a week or so, and when I came back to it, it worked flawlessly. Didn't seem to harm the finish in any way.

**dgilman** · 06-22-2011, 06:18 AM

Thanks, everyone! I'm pleased about the score, no doubt.

MacDaddy said:

Forgot to mention that you can narrow the date down further by the inscription on the inside. At some point either in '49 or '50 (I've seen both dates quoted) it changed from "PAT. NOS. ON (*) PACKAGE" to "PAT. NOS. (*) ON PKG." where (*) represents the center post.

Interesting, I hadn't heard that before. Does anyone else know the exact breakdown of this? The internet is letting me down on this particular point.

Bkfist said:

If you want to try loosening up the gunk inside, I can recommend PB Blaster. It's a penetrating oil that you should be able to pick up at any automotive store. I had my dad's old SS that was really stiff opening and closing. I sprayed a bit down the center tube, let it set upright for a couple of days, sprayed again, worked the mechanism, let sit for about a week or so, and when I came back to it, it worked flawlessly. Didn't seem to harm the finish in any way.

Hm, I may give that a try, but only if I find that the razor isn't doing well by my face. The soap scum I noticed is just at the very bottom of the handle, and is an aesthetic annoyance more than anything else. I may turn out to be wrong, but I think the silo door issue is one of long-term wear and tear. Then again, if built-up gunk is known to make the silo doors operate the way I described, I'd be glad to know that, so I can tackle the problem head-on.

**bkfist** · 06-22-2011, 06:24 AM

Originally Posted by dgilman

Thanks, everyone! I'm pleased about the score, no doubt.

MacDaddy said:

Interesting, I hadn't heard that before. Does anyone else know the exact breakdown of this? The internet is letting me down on this particular point.

Bkfist said:

Hm, I may give that a try, but only if I find that the razor isn't doing well by my face. The soap scum I noticed is just at the very bottom of the handle, and is an aesthetic annoyance more than anything else. I may turn out to be wrong, but I think the silo door issue is one of long-term wear and tear. Then again, if built-up gunk is known to make the silo doors operate the way I described, I'd be glad to know that, so I can tackle the problem head-on.

If the mechanism moves smoothly, and it's just the silo doors, then the side of the razor probably got bumped and bent at some point, but if the TTO mechanism moves tightly at all, then you probably have a scum/dirt buildup in the mechanism inside the handle, which a good penetrating lube should loosen up.

Actually, the silo doors should be a bit "floppy" as you noticed... It's probably the door that is NOT floppy that has the problem, not the one that is.

**alex2363** · 06-22-2011, 06:54 AM

congrats.....:)

**maxman** · 06-22-2011, 07:17 AM

Cool stuff.
The family stories are interesting to me.

**dgilman** · 06-23-2011, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by bkfist

If the mechanism moves smoothly, and it's just the silo doors, then the side of the razor probably got bumped and bent at some point, but if the TTO mechanism moves tightly at all, then you probably have a scum/dirt buildup in the mechanism inside the handle, which a good penetrating lube should loosen up.

Actually, the silo doors should be a bit "floppy" as you noticed... It's probably the door that is NOT floppy that has the problem, not the one that is.

Ah, you may be on to something there! After I read this comment, I compared the silo action on my 1952 SS, and sure enough, the doors sort of flop open the same way, on both sides. I have no interest in messing with penetrating lube until I admit that it's necessary, but I'll definitely keep an eye on that tighter silo door. If the difference becomes more noticeable, then I'll heed your advice and try a little maintenance with the lube.

Meanwhile, I'll keep on experimenting with blades in my 1952.

**MacDaddy** · 06-23-2011, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by dgilman

Ah, you may be on to something there! After I read this comment, I compared the silo action on my 1952 SS, and sure enough, the doors sort of flop open the same way, on both sides. I have no interest in messing with penetrating lube until I admit that it's necessary, but I'll definitely keep an eye on that tighter silo door. If the difference becomes more noticeable, then I'll heed your advice and try a little maintenance with the lube.

If your problem is that one side is too tight, then you've almost certainly got a lifting arm that's bent slightly inward on that side. If it doesn't hang up completely I'd leave it alone. If it needs adjustment, I've had good luck using a pair of needle-nosed pliers to bend the arms back out by opening the jaws inside the lifting arms from underneath the razor's head very slowly and very gently.

**MacDaddy** · 06-23-2011, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by dgilman

Interesting, I hadn't heard that before. Does anyone else know the exact breakdown of this? The internet is letting me down on this particular point.

Achim posted this breakdown in a thread a while back:

Originally Posted by mr-razor

1947: no notch, comes in a cardbox

1948: notched, comes in a cardbox

1949: notched, comes in a red styrene case, "PAT.NOS.ON PACKAGE" inside the head

1950: notched, comes in a red styrene case, "PAT.NOS.ON PKG" inside the head

1951: notched, date code (starting with "W1") under the head

More information about the Super-Speed are in this thread

I've seen something elsewhere that suggested that the "PACKAGE/PKG" change might have happened during 1949 instead of between the '49 and '50 runs, but I can't find where that was right now. With things like that I'm hesitant to draw a hard line based only on anecdotal evidence.

**dgilman** · 06-24-2011, 07:08 AM

Leaving it alone is exactly what I shall do. Sad to say, I did not inherit any of Grandpop's aptitude for engineering. Squirting a little oil up the handle is one thing, but I'm one of those people who could destroy something just by picking up a pair of pliers. I'd be really angry with myself if I ruined the poor thing just as soon as I acquired it. It definitely functions well enough as is, so I'll content myself with shining up the material a little.

Thanks also for the info on the razor details. I guess I'll have to live with a little mystery surrounding the exact moment of its birth.

Not such a terrible thing, really.