Rust Boy came to me after I took a chance on him. He was listed at $48 - Make An Offer....so I made an offer...of $24 and my offer was accepted. I had wanted a Fat Boy and had had a bit of luck with the Make An Offer in the past (most people have no idea what they have and just hope for a few bucks). Rust Boy must have been passed over for some time. I never thought my 50% bid would be accepted, I really thought I would get a counterbid of @$35 and I'd be happy. The quick sale and low price had me nervous.
Here's what Rust Boy looked like from the ebay ad:
Not pretty! The seller said that it was stuck closed and nothing worked. They claimed that they hadn't made much attempt to unstick it, so I assumed it was not a B&B member or any other type of collector. There might be a hidden gem here.
Well, Rust Boy arrived and I opened up the package expecting to find something to work with. Here's what I found:
Rust Boy looked worse, if that was possible!! He really was stuck. The TTO knob would only turn about a 1/4 turn and sounded like it was lined with gravel and the adjuster dial was locked down tight. There was gunk and dirt and what looked like rust all over him. What little bit of shiny nickel plating was under attack by corrosion (oddly, his base plate, inside the silo doors, was in really decent shape. No left over razor blade rusting out inside of Rust Boy). So into the bath Rust Boy went. I usually only have to do 1 hot soapy water bath with a vintage razor but Rust Boy got 5 trips and an over night soak in Simple Green and then 2 visits to the Scrubbing Bubbles. The Simple Green soak (which removed a ton of gross gunk) did the trick on the stuck doors and the stuck adjuster. They both work and there's just a small bit of squeak when opening the doors (I suspect Rust Boy liked his bathes and is just holding out for more of them). The adjuster clicks loud and proud.
Here's how Rust Boy looks today:
Rust Boy has a beauty all his own. As DaltonGang pointed out, he looks like something from the Star Wars world. Well, with that, I wanted to keep Rust Boy just like he is. But I wonder, could Rust Boy be dangerous? I know its not a good idea to run a rusted piece of metal across your face (and I haven't used Rust Boy, so don't worry about my tetanus status) but I would like to know if Rust Boy can be made safe to use occasionally and without having to replate him. I know that the brass base of Rust Boy doesn't rust, so is it possible that the nickel plating is rusting? I'm not too worried about the rust on the top of the silo doors but its the rust areas on the safety bars that have me apprehensive(BTW when I say "rust" I should point out that those areas are very smooth and not "rust-like", its more of a color than anything). Can they be made safe? Can Rust Boy be tamed? Is Rust Boy going to have to retire from the shave game? Or is he doomed to the fate of a replate? Tune in tomorrow......or when ever Rust Boy's fans decide to comment.
Here's what Rust Boy looked like from the ebay ad:
Not pretty! The seller said that it was stuck closed and nothing worked. They claimed that they hadn't made much attempt to unstick it, so I assumed it was not a B&B member or any other type of collector. There might be a hidden gem here.
Well, Rust Boy arrived and I opened up the package expecting to find something to work with. Here's what I found:
Rust Boy looked worse, if that was possible!! He really was stuck. The TTO knob would only turn about a 1/4 turn and sounded like it was lined with gravel and the adjuster dial was locked down tight. There was gunk and dirt and what looked like rust all over him. What little bit of shiny nickel plating was under attack by corrosion (oddly, his base plate, inside the silo doors, was in really decent shape. No left over razor blade rusting out inside of Rust Boy). So into the bath Rust Boy went. I usually only have to do 1 hot soapy water bath with a vintage razor but Rust Boy got 5 trips and an over night soak in Simple Green and then 2 visits to the Scrubbing Bubbles. The Simple Green soak (which removed a ton of gross gunk) did the trick on the stuck doors and the stuck adjuster. They both work and there's just a small bit of squeak when opening the doors (I suspect Rust Boy liked his bathes and is just holding out for more of them). The adjuster clicks loud and proud.
Here's how Rust Boy looks today:
Rust Boy has a beauty all his own. As DaltonGang pointed out, he looks like something from the Star Wars world. Well, with that, I wanted to keep Rust Boy just like he is. But I wonder, could Rust Boy be dangerous? I know its not a good idea to run a rusted piece of metal across your face (and I haven't used Rust Boy, so don't worry about my tetanus status) but I would like to know if Rust Boy can be made safe to use occasionally and without having to replate him. I know that the brass base of Rust Boy doesn't rust, so is it possible that the nickel plating is rusting? I'm not too worried about the rust on the top of the silo doors but its the rust areas on the safety bars that have me apprehensive(BTW when I say "rust" I should point out that those areas are very smooth and not "rust-like", its more of a color than anything). Can they be made safe? Can Rust Boy be tamed? Is Rust Boy going to have to retire from the shave game? Or is he doomed to the fate of a replate? Tune in tomorrow......or when ever Rust Boy's fans decide to comment.
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