7 O'clock razor restore

**marcel** · 07-22-2011, 02:32 AM

Just wanted to share some pics of one of my latest finds, a vintage 7 O'clock open comb razor.
An interesting head design, as it seems like a blend of an old type head and a NEW head. If I remember correctly, the 7 O'clock company was bought by Gillette in the 1930's, does anybody have more details about that?
Got it for €7,50 and thought it was in good enough shape to take the gamble:

After some soaking and a gently polish, the razor turned out to be a beauty. The handle and baseplate both seem silver plated, the head plate is probably chrome.
I haven't tried to clean the tin, as I'm afraid the paint will chip off.
What do you think?

**eliev** · 07-22-2011, 02:42 AM

Nice!

**xillion** · 07-22-2011, 02:45 AM

Wonderful restore Marcel. The head is very interesting, have you had a shave with it yet? There is some info regarding 7 O'clock razors in these threads.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...-razor-is-this

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...-and-7-O-Clock

The head appears similar to the sixth from the left, UK Long Comb New, in my image below. The combs are shorter on your 7 O'clock, but they do look similar to Old Type combs.
Even the cap looks a lot like a thick Old Type cap.

**marcel** · 07-22-2011, 02:50 AM

Thanks for the links Xillion!
I haven't shaved with it yet, but I will give it a go this weekend.
I forgot to mention it is a 3 piece design like a singe ring.

**plpenn** · 07-22-2011, 02:51 AM

not bad!

**Greyfox** · 07-22-2011, 04:40 AM

Nice job.

**Sledgehammer39** · 07-22-2011, 05:34 AM

Good Work, and nice haul.

**wulfgar1976** · 07-22-2011, 08:25 AM

I have a boxed one in excellent condition that I bought some time ago. The head is more reminiscent to me of a cross between a NEW and a New Improved.

Have you shaved with it yet? It's an excellent razor, very efficient without being aggressive.

**onotoman** · 07-22-2011, 09:34 AM

Yes, I think Gillette did buy the company in 1930s - I have a 7 O'Clock in a Gillette Bakelite Case from this time period.

Your razor was indeed Silver plated which makes it an earlier one. Later ones were nickel plated.

As for the box you have, I'd leave it alone other than giving it a gentle clean.

**alex2363** · 07-22-2011, 10:27 AM

gillette did own the 7 oclock brand in 1930's, in London England

**KM-instructor** · 07-22-2011, 10:33 AM

Fantastic restoration/clean up, it's a beauty.

**wulfgar1976** · 07-22-2011, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by KM-instructor

Fantastic restoration/clean up, it's a beauty.

The nice thing about 7 O'Clock razors is that they were made to a high standard, with thicker plating than some of the Gillette models. Mine looks (and feels) like it also has a coating of lacquer on it.

They tend to go for higher prices than Gillette models on Ebay.

**marcel** · 07-22-2011, 02:09 PM

I haven't shaved with it yet but I will this weekend. The looks of this razor really impressed me, although it didn't look like much when I first saw it. Build quality is really top notch!
And good to know this one is really silver plated.

**Old Man Army** · 07-22-2011, 02:16 PM

That is an amazing razor!

**marcel** · 07-23-2011, 06:33 AM

To me the handle of this razor looks a lot like the English Gillette #77 and #88 razors. I've got a #77 set coming next week so I can compare the 2.

**natchez** · 07-23-2011, 06:39 AM

Really sweet! Nice job on the clean up. How does it shave?

**marcel** · 07-23-2011, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by natchez

Really sweet! Nice job on the clean up. How does it shave?

I still didn't try it, tomorrow morning will be its first time. But I'm sure I won't be disappointed :-)

**marcel** · 07-24-2011, 02:59 AM

Woah! This is one effective razor! As I also wanted to try a 39c that came in this week, so I shaved the left part of my face with the 7 O'clock razor and the right half with the slant. I'm used to handling a slant and a horde of open comb razors, so not much adjustment was needed. They both had to deal with 2+ days of stubble.
Prep was a hot shower and MWF, face lathered. The 7 O'clock was loaded with a fresh NOS Gillette Bleue extra, the slant with feather that was used once before.
First difference, the slant isn't half as loud. Other than that? I'd call it even, both did a great job and gave me a 3 pass BBS! The difference in handling is substantial though, the 7 O'clock is a lean and mean razor with average weight, the 39c, well, you probably know what it looks like. It is a sledgehammer!
Summary: I like both razors!