"1904" razor "unlost" in the mail

The same week the Gillette double ring was the safety razor of the week, I won one in an auction. And then I began waiting for it to arrive.

Well.. it finally came in... 3 weeks later. The box was crushed and retaped by the post office. Then it had been placed in a plastic bag that of all things claims "we care". Ugh.

So here it is.. However, it isn't a 1904 as the auction stated :~(

According to serial number on outer handle it is a 1912. The inner tube has no serial number and the double ring. I am assuming that the numbers have simply worn off and that this isn't a 1903 inner tube. Could it be?

Another bit of disappointment, some of the teeth are bent. However, I don't know if that was from the shipping. Looking at the box, it is quite possible. It was insured, so I suppose I could try to get my money back. However, it is still a piece of history even if it is mismatched. How difficult is it to straighten the teeth?

View attachment 31456

View attachment 31457

View attachment 31458

View attachment 31459

I don't know from experience but I say where another guy here at B&B tried to bend a tooth back on an old style and it broke off on him.

I thought 'Double Ring' referred to the neck which connects the head to the barrel, since that is the only difference I've ever detected between Single- and Double-ring photos.

In other words, I don't think you have a Double-Ring at all.

Compare photos of Single & Doubles here: http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Old%20Type/Old Type.htm

Double-Ring from Wiki:

Sorry... You are quite correct; I mentally imposed the wrong term on the wrong part. I agree that the outer handle is not a double ring. Being a C140299 serial it is 1912 and a definitely a single ring. For some reason, I was looking at the double band on the inner handle/knob.

OK.. so when I first bought this I was delusional and never realized in the weeks that I waited that I was using the wrong terms for the wrong parts.

So, did they continue placing the serial number on the inner handle/knob after the double ring razors?

How do these old Gillette's shave? There's one in an antique store near where I work. They want 10 dollars for what I think is a single ring. It might be worth checking out....

http://www.geocities.com/safetyrazors/gil_ser2.htm can probably answer that question and any others you may have.

Kazeryu said:

http://www.geocities.com/safetyrazors/gil_ser2.htm can probably answer that question and any others you may have.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have used that site. That is how I knew the serial number was a 1912. However, that site doesn't mention anything about the serial number being also inside on the inner handle. (at least not they I have found)

In the razor of the week thread for the double ring, it is mentioned that the serial number is stamped on the inner tube and on the outer handle. It also mentions that there was no serial number stamp in 1903. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=58048

I seriously doubt I have a 1903 inner handle. That would be ridiculous. However, do those serial numbers on the inner handle wear off? Or did they stop putting them there by 1912?

Looking through my Double and Single ring razors, I found the last inner barrel marked with the date code to be a 1907. My 1908 and later Single rings display he date code on the inner portion of the bottom plate as you show in your picture.

I have seen some wearing of the date codes on the inner tube but I highly doubt they would be worn completely.

BTW nice score. Enjoy!!!

Books said:

How do these old Gillette's shave? There's one in an antique store near where I work. They want 10 dollars for what I think is a single ring. It might be worth checking out....

Click to expand...

I think they shave great. My 1919 Standard and 1920 Bulldog are my mainstays right now. Heck, I have picked up my Aristocrat in a couple of weeks.

I don't want to tell you to try to repair the bent teeth and then have you break them, but I will say that I have been successful at straightening teeth that were worse than yours. I simply use a screwdriver with a blade just a bit thinner than the spacing of the teeth. I just put it between the teeth and very gently turn the screwdriver to push the bent tooth back into alignment. I wouldn't try this on a die cast head such as on some Merkurs. The casting metal, Zamak, is not very mallable and it will break very easily. The base metal on your Gillette is going to be brass which is relatively mallable.

Your razor appears to be silver plated. If you polish it up well, it should turn out to be a beautiful razor. These silver plated Gillettes can usually be polished up to look like a piece of jewelry. Compared to the gold plated ones, the silver plating seems to be much heavier.

Regards,
Tom

tom myers said:

Your razor appears to be silver plated. If you polish it up well, it should turn out to be a beautiful razor. These silver plated Gillettes can usually be polished up to look like a piece of jewelry. Compared to the gold plated ones, the silver plating seems to be much heavier.

Regards,
Tom

Click to expand...

I was actually polishing this and had just stopped to check the board. I was wondering about the finish and was about to ask to find your response. Here is what it looks like at the moment. The inner handle is coming out a different color as the rest of the razor.

View attachment 31523

tom myers said:

I don't want to tell you to try to repair the bent teeth and then have you break them, but I will say that I have been successful at straightening teeth that were worse than yours. I simply use a screwdriver with a blade just a bit thinner than the spacing of the teeth. I just put it between the teeth and very gently turn the screwdriver to push the bent tooth back into alignment. I wouldn't try this on a die cast head such as on some Merkurs. The casting metal, Zamak, is not very mallable and it will break very easily. The base metal on your Gillette is going to be brass which is relatively mallable.

Click to expand...

Thanks Tom, that is what I would have tried on my own - but I didn't know how much these combs can take. I just tried it and the tooth is straight in less than 10 seconds.

Thanks!