Old Gillette Fatboy - Stuck adjusting mechanism

**bpuckett02** · 05-04-2012, 10:35 PM

Hey fellas, I'm a 21 year old wet-shaver. I shave with a Merkur Futur, but recently I came across an old Gillette Fatboy that belonged to my grandfather. It is in pretty rough shape. The razor adjusting mechanism is stuck, but the butterfly opening mechanism still works well. I was just wondering if any of you guys know how I could fix the mechanism and clean the razor a bit. I want to be able to restore it to use alongside my Futur. Thanks guys! Happy Shaving!

**Sunflake** · 05-04-2012, 10:38 PM

Try soaking in near boiling water with dish soap until the water is cool enough for you to pick it out by hand. May have to do this a couple of times. Should loosen it up.

**bpuckett02** · 05-04-2012, 10:41 PM

Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated.

**Sunflake** · 05-04-2012, 10:44 PM

NP that's what were here for. You may be surprised how much gunk falls out of it, Water will be quite cloudy. Bring water to a boil and then turn the heat off until just below a boil before you add the soap. And don't do this with gold plated razors! Bad for the lacquer. BTW let us know if you get that Fatboy adjusting!

**bpuckett02** · 05-04-2012, 10:53 PM

Will do! I'll give it a try tomorrow and post about it.

**Krona Kruiser** · 05-04-2012, 11:00 PM

Also, make sure the bottom guard plate (responsible for moving blade up and down) can freely move. You can use the end of a wooden spoon with a cloth wrapped to it and you want to tap the bottom of the plate and the inside of the plate (part that protrudes from the oblong holes inside the silo doors) until it moves freely. Good luck.

**bluefire** · 05-04-2012, 11:03 PM

This may help thanks to alex2363 who posted on an earlier thread.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...tling+a+fatboy

**jamesspo** · 05-05-2012, 05:05 AM

As Krona said, the key thing to get working is the adjuster plate. If it doesn't move with respect to the blade platform (where the blade goes), it won't adjust. You should be able to move it by pushing up from below, and you'll see the adjuster bars protrude up through holes in the blade platform. Most of the time, those bars are stuck to the blade platform right where they come through the holes due to soap scum, or corrosion. The hot water and soap should get it working again with time, and gently working the adjuster plate up and down.

As bob mentioned, dis-assembly is possible, but that should be a last resort. It's rarely necessary to do that.