Shave of the day?

lwt210 said:
I'd love to see an "after" shot of that Slim with the original plating. If it were me, and you enjoy the way it looks and shaves, I'd get a second Slim and rhodium plate that one instead. The slims can be found everywhere.....and sometimes for very low cash.

Date code link.

http://gillettedatecodes.com/
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Thanks for the link! It has an H and a 3 underneath so best I can tell it's a '62 or '63 TTO/Tech ? Purchased around the time of brother's birth but sadly soon after, his passing.

Cleaned it with Scrubbing Bubbles and some polish, still kinda' rough looking. Also is this right, when closing the doors at the end they kind of "snap" shut solid. Then when opening they "pop" open and then open fully freely. Well, except one door kinda' doesn't and needs to be flipped open by hand. I think I'd still like to send this out to be completely disassembled, cleaned and replated.

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My two Slims open pretty smooth but they are pretty much new old stock. The one I got in yesterday's mail still had the blades wrapped with the instruction manual.

Try this. Soak for several hours/days in hot water. You might want to add a small amount of mild soap to the water. If nothing appears to be bent or dinged (like the razor was dropped), it probably just has a fair amount of scum built up in the innards.

Hot water seems to be the preferred method. Some guys have to soak a razor for more than a day or two to get things smoothed out. It is worth a try as hot water certainly won't hurt it.

I did get a 59 Fatboy that had a tinge of grittiness to it when opening the silo doors. Nothing would "pop" open like you describe but a little Superlube on the threads on the inside of the TTO knob at the bottom and a tiny amount of mineral oil down the shaft where the blade is inserted smoothed it right up. If the hot water soak doesn't help, a little oil might.

Your razor's base metal is brass so a drop can cause some ever so slight bending of things. Look it over closely and see if you can see what is causing it to hang up. And try the water soak trick.

Hope this helps you out some.

I went back and looked at the pics and it looks pretty good. Also, when you do close the silo doors, there should be like a 1/4 turn that locks them down. Do you have that 1/4 turn that tightens it?
 
lwt210 - yes that is exactly the snap shut / pops open part. something has to be binding or out of alignment ever so slightly? will try the hot soak next, water still hot from making coffee :D thanks for all the help here!

just submerged it and a little bug came floating out. cereal kind, think it's from here. I think the spring is all gummed up inside causing the sticking? letting it soak a bit before giving it a try. having second thoughts on replating. probably should keep it as is just cleaned up!

it's working! on soak number 2 now. fiddled with it at setting 1 and 9 seems to be loosening up more. still snapping but getting better. at 9 is almost non-existant.
 
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PapaTango52 said:
it's working! on soak number 2 now. fiddled with it at setting 1 and 9 seems to be loosening up more. still snapping but getting better. at 9 is almost non-existant.
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Yep, keep soaking it in hot water. Not boiling hot but as hot as your tap water will go. Might want to add some mild dish soap to the mix and after a good soak and rinse, work it more and more.

Sounds like it is going to polish up like a new penny.
 
at the 5th soak level now, I think it's about as good as it will get. still snaps must be something mechanical catching or rubbing. I seriously want to take it apart but don't want to screw it up either.
 
The mechanics of the Gillette adjustable is fairly simple, what isn't though is the way they are held together. On the early Fatboys they had a threaded nut/collar that held most of it together, but in the pursuit of higher and less expensive production this was dropped in favor of a retaining ring that is crimped on. You can still get it off, but the risk of damage is much higher:(

Keep going at it with the hot water and add some liquid dish soap to the soaks. Sometimes they are fine in a couple of soaks, others take forever to loosen up. It all depends on how well the original owner rinsed it after use.
 
PapaTango52 said:
at the 5th soak level now, I think it's about as good as it will get. still snaps must be something mechanical catching or rubbing. I seriously want to take it apart but don't want to screw it up either.
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I would just use it as is. Like Unky said, the early Fatboys were easier to disassemble but the slims have the crimped on retaining nut.

You might want to think about just getting a second slim for use and put that one up for sentimental value.

They can be easily found on the bay.....depending on what you want to spend.

Since this is the shave of the day thread.....

Today's shave:

59 Fatboy on 7
Two shave old Feather
VDH luxury scented
VDH badger brush
Shave Secret
Thayer's cucumber
Barbasol Pacific Rush

One of the best shaves yet. BBS all directions. Skin has never looked this good/clear.
 
Just got some new soaps, and realized I haven't posted in a shave here!
My routine is nothing special, nor is my kit, but here it is:
Brush is a Theirs Issard Badger (love this brush, dropped about 80$ on it two years ago, and still going strong)
My DE handle is a 1931 patent stamped Gillette Tech open comb. Not sure the exact date of manufacture, as the engraving has been quite polished.
My current blade is the Bic Chrome Platinum, But I have another sampler to hopefully find another brand, on the off chance I cannot get more Bics from the bay. Feathers for special occasions, as they are VERY aggressive in the Tech
Soap was MWF, which has been very reliable for me. Just got some Proraso White. It was a bit of a surprise, as the MWF just is where the proraso has quite a bit of menthol in it, it was an unexpected sensation. I also got some Trumpers cream samples which I'll have to try, and some Conk lime which is waiting on a container. I'll be bouncing around the soaps as I tend to get bored, and like to switch from time to time. Besides, I've been using the MWF for a while, and I figure there is another year of shaves in it! it just lasts forever!
Aftershave is Thayers super-hazel. It works well for me on my entire face.
My various dishes and containers are a bit odd, I use nalgene jars for soaps and such, and I have a couple of US decontamination kit boxes to hold stuff in for travel.

Right now I only have two straights tuned up, a round nosed 7/8 Shaveesi, and a 4/8 square Boker King Kutter. I do use them when I have time, but I'm honestly too lazy at the moment to keep up with them every day.

It's funny how on the face of it wet shaving is expensive (my last shaving stuff order was 90$) But given that my last shaving order was over a year ago, I think I'll let it slide. At least with the belt as tight as it is, I can still have a great shave every day without worrying about picking up another pack of cartridges. That habit is almost as bad as smoking!
 
If you spend $3 on a can of foam and it lasts you three weeks, then you are spending $52 per year on foam. It doesn't seem like much because it goes out three bucks at a time and you just throw it in with your groceries, but it is over fifty bucks per year.

If you spend $15 for a package of cartridges and can get five weeks out of it, then you are spending $156 per year on cartridges.

A can-and-cartridge habit costs over $200 per year. It just doesn't seem like it because it's a slow bleed.

So, while a $100 order from westcoastshaving may seem gratuitous, if that's a year's worth of shaving supplies, then that seemingly outrageous order is actually a huge savings.
 
I just got inspired to shave...

Plus I just got in some new Truefitt and Hill sandalwood and man I love this stuff. Smells and feels so good.
 
hettingerjm said:
I just got inspired to shave...

Plus I just got in some new Truefitt and Hill sandalwood and man I love this stuff. Smells and feels so good.
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Isn't it the best though!?! I don't know how they do it. First the shaving cream just feels so smooth and cushioning, then the balm equally amazing and soothing. I put it on WTG and it even feels to close and heal any weepers or irritation on contact. Is it the paraffin? The Nivea balm is close but not quite the same, followed by the Armani and then I think Art of Shaving.

lwt, unky, - yes, with a tear in my eye you are probably right I will put Dad's razor away / to rest / to take out and marvel at time to time. :( Did my best. The West Coast guy may try to help with the doors issue but I won't futz with the finish it should remain original. getting choked up now but somehow comforted holding this little piece of assembled metal bits in my hand. I gave my Dad his last shave while alive in the hospital but used an electric. Even in that state I could tell he enjoyed getting cleaned up.
 
When I was buying canned goop and plastic razors, I was buying the "good" or at least expensive stuff, so I would have been spending somewhat more than your $200 estimate. All that for crappy shaves. I'm well and truly converted, and I love that fact that being cheap about it has made life better. Feels like I'm beating the system, even if it is in a small way.
Another shave this morning with the proraso, I think I could get better lather more quickly with a bowl, but palm and face lathering works pretty well. First creme I've used, so it takes getting used to.
 
After years of shaving with canned stuff and Gillette Sensor Excel, a friend gifted me a like new '60 flared tip Super Speed along with a selection of blades, the favorite being Feather brand. I never realized how often I was getting irritable skin, almost got used to it. Last week I bought a Merkur Progress and unscented shaving cream from my local Art of Shaving store and my shaving experience has changed for the better.

Compared to the $20+ expense for the twin cartridge pack, I can get a 10 pack of DE's locally for less than $4 and that's a hard combination to beat. And my skin is smooth and without any burning.

Thumbs up for DE wet shaving! :thumbup:
 
jkarp_53 said:
After years of shaving with canned stuff and Gillette Sensor Excel, a friend gifted me a like new '60 flared tip Super Speed along with a selection of blades, the favorite being Feather brand. I never realized how often I was getting irritable skin, almost got used to it. Last week I bought a Merkur Progress and unscented shaving cream from my local Art of Shaving store and my shaving experience has changed for the better.

Compared to the $20+ expense for the twin cartridge pack, I can get a 10 pack of DE's locally for less than $4 and that's a hard combination to beat. And my skin is smooth and without any burning.

Thumbs up for DE wet shaving! :thumbup:
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Now go in search of a good soap, they do make unscented ones. I found that using soap as compared to canned cream is almost as big a benefit as using a DE razor
 
first time in this section of the forums, and you guys have already made me want to jump ship from the can and my mach 3 for a go with a DE razor.
 
Deth - you will not regret it! In the least you get a piece of history in your hands.

Today's shave tried the Proraso green and WOW what a nice minty fresh shave :) Lathered up easily with my full size silvertip & insulated bowl. I think will save this nice classic shaving cream for once a week treat. Followed up with Aqua Velva feelin' and smelling like a 70s dude lol! The Futur + Astra combo continues to impress. Put on some AoS Sandalwood balm for good measure. Still feels great hours later! Wife commented on my growing stash of product but as they say Buy it Cheap and Stack it Deep.
 
Started on the sampler pack today. I've gone back to the MWF as a baseline soap for my tests, to better gauge my progress. First blade was the Gillette 7 O'Clock super stainless (green pack)
First WTG pass was ok, fairly smooth, nothing to write home about. Second pass, absolute disaster. XTG it pulled like mad, and ATG it just dug in and went for blood. mess of weepers in the two small ATG patches I tried. Then for the next few hours my face felt rough and prickly, so I tried out my sample of Trumpers skin food. That made things better, so that's a plus. I tossed that blade, and will come back to the pack once I've tried everything else. I'm not doing blade longevity yet, just trying to get a sense of the blades, then I'll go for distance. In this case, there is no way the second shave would be better. This blade felt more flexible than others have, so it could be that it requires more support for a good shave, and that it will flex and dig in. Not sure if that is what is happening, but its a theory. Next up will be the 7O'Clock supersharp yellow pack. We'll see what that does to me.
 
I have the exact same experience Derby blades, almost felt like they were pulling the hairs out instead of cutting them:(

gadgetgeek said:
Started on the sampler pack today. I've gone back to the MWF as a baseline soap for my tests, to better gauge my progress. First blade was the Gillette 7 O'Clock super stainless (green pack)
First WTG pass was ok, fairly smooth, nothing to write home about. Second pass, absolute disaster. XTG it pulled like mad, and ATG it just dug in and went for blood. mess of weepers in the two small ATG patches I tried. Then for the next few hours my face felt rough and prickly, so I tried out my sample of Trumpers skin food. That made things better, so that's a plus. I tossed that blade, and will come back to the pack once I've tried everything else. I'm not doing blade longevity yet, just trying to get a sense of the blades, then I'll go for distance. In this case, there is no way the second shave would be better. This blade felt more flexible than others have, so it could be that it requires more support for a good shave, and that it will flex and dig in. Not sure if that is what is happening, but its a theory. Next up will be the 7O'Clock supersharp yellow pack. We'll see what that does to me.
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Ok, so 7O'clock Sharpedge (yellow pack). Not stellar. Same like before, reasonable first pass, but everything else was just whack. I'm not sure why though, but everything felt uneven. The blade didn't seem to sit properly in the razor handle, so that might have had an effect. My totally non-scientific testing shows that these blades are much more flexible than the Bic blades I'm used to. Finished up with Skin-food again, as my face felt burned, as well as stubbly.
For reference I've been leaving about 36 hours between shaves so that I can tell if any razor burn is from the new shave, or the past one.
Next episode, will be the super platinum (black) then red personas, derbys and Astras will be after that. It's been a while since I tried derbys or astras last, so maybe something has changed. At that time I was comparing them to Iridium Platinums which were amazing.
 
Oh man, found a two pass shave combination today.

1958 Gillette Fatboy, dead mint, set on 7
Feather with a day's shave already on it
VDH Badger brush
Shave Secret
Combo lather of Bigelow and Godrej creams (eucalyptus and lime goodness)
WTG ATG passes
cold water splash
Thayer's lemon
Florida Water

Never have I had a closer shave with so few passes. The lime/eucalyptus/menthol lather was pure bliss. Slickness was off the charts. The Florida Water, a known burner of an AS, felt like pure water going on. No burn or even hint of a burn whatsoever.

This may be my new "running a bit behind but crave the experience" combo. I didn't clock it but I bet I could perform this shave in less than 7 minutes prep and clean up included.
 
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