My weekend(s) with Gillette

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Terry Williams, Aug 21, 2016.

  1. Terry Williams

    Terry Williams Well-Known Member

    I have been picking up a few Super Adjustables and I got a couple that were in pretty rough shape internally. They looked pretty good from the outside, but closer inspection showed some holes in the handle. I thought that I might try to clean them up myself and set about taking one of them apart to see if it could be salvaged or junked. So, I got this one apart and the nickel stuff was in OK condition and most of the handle parts were useable. I decided to try to to fill the holes with JB Weld and see if I could get it back to reasonable condition. In the end, I decided to prime and paint the handle and found some Forest Green enamel with a satin finish. Here is how it turned out after cleaning and repainting.
    _DSC7770.jpg
    The numbers and indicator spring were repainted with black enamel. And, the polish was Flitz and buff with a soft cotton wheel on a Dremel. Quite fun really.

    Here is the end result of one of the JB Weld patches.
    _DSC7771.jpg
    Not awesome, but serviceable I think.
     
    waffen, Recklesstr, RyX and 8 others like this.
  2. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Fantastic job, Terry. I hope it is serviceable for you.
     
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  3. Straight razor dandy

    Straight razor dandy Stuck cleaning the house himself PERMANENTLY

    Looks awesome to me. You cant really see any imperfections unless you are extremely close
     
  4. John Ruschmeyer

    John Ruschmeyer Well-Known Member

    Wow! I've also got one with holes in the handle. Care to share more about how you fixed them?
     
  5. Terry Williams

    Terry Williams Well-Known Member

    Sure, @John Ruschmeyer, but I wish that I had pictures. So, I had two of these things that were pretty gunked up and a bit rusty. I disassembled them and cleaned them up with all manor of methods found here and elsewhere. Once the gunk was removed from the handle I prepped handle by cleaning with some acetone. That had the effect of scuffing the old finish. Then, I used a flashlight from the outside while peering down into the tube. Once I new where the holes were, I mixed up a small amount of JB Weld (regular stuff, not the quick set) and applied it from the inside with a Q-Tip. I pressed enough in to allow it to ooze through the holes a little and let it set for about 15-20 minutes. By then, it was easy enough to rub off or rub down without goo going everywhere. When you rub it down make sure that you use a Q-tip or something from behind on the inside or you will just push the JB Weld back through the hole. The round shaft of a ball point pen works well for this. The JB Weld took a good 24 hrs to cure completely. Then, another very light cleaning with a light solvent. I used acetone again, but alcohol would probably work too. You just want to get the residue off. Took another peek with the flashlight. After the JB Weld was completely set I used a needle file to scrub down the rough spots. Be really careful here; you could easily scrub too much. A sharp pen knife or a scribe would probably work, too. Then, I primed with a self-etching primer. I let that the primer cure for a week, but you could wait less time; though, no less than 48 hrs, IMO. I used a rattle can enamel from the hardware store, but chose one that is meant for outdoor paint jobs on metal. The one I found was said to be good for wheelbarrows. Figured it would probably work for a razor in the sink, too (I'll let you know). I also used a small toaster oven to oven cure the paint (found a brand new one at Goodwill for $9). I let it bake at about 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Don't know if that really helps, but that's how the gun coat guys do it. Seemed like a good idea. It also seemed to allow the paint to flow into knurling a little more evenly. I did this for 2 coats; both, were very light. Waited a day between each coat. I repainted the numbers and dots. Then, I shined up the nickel parts, lubed up the spin-ny parts and followed CAP's instructions on reassembly. Make sure you understand how to adjust the blade bed gap. Otherwise, your razor will be soft mild that you couldn't use it to butter your toast or it will be so aggressive that you will only want to use it plane down rough spots on your wood coffee table. You might want to practice the disassembly/reassembly thing before you get too involved refinishing the handle. Oh, and don't forget that you will have to make a bunch of tools to get them apart. Putting them back together is not as bad; except for the crimped cap that holds the T-bar stem. Those are kind of a bitch to get back on with the SA-109. Like I said, I had a couple. One of them is now a bag donor parts. If you don't want to bother Macgyver-ing your tool crib, then you can always hire out. CAP does stellar work on refurbs. I am just experimenting.

    Were I to do it again (and I just might), I would use a glossy paint instead of a satin. It hides flaws and the gleam is nicer when paired with the shiny metal. I might even find a gold tone SA and use the same Forest Green or some other color. My next one might show the colors of an old Lincoln Continental limousine. Wouldn't that be cool? If the SA had gloss black doors and adjuster plate? All of the other parts in nickel or chrome? Glossy black handle? Gets me thinkin'.

    What would really be cool is to have someone with a knurling tool and a lathe make new handles for all of these Gillettes, but especially the aluminum tube models. Gets me thinkin'.

    hth,
     
  6. Taipan

    Taipan Well-Known Member

    Great job!
    I'd like to re-paint the numbers on a Slim that I'm shaving with. Care to pass on your tips?
     

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