The arrival of the Soviet

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Monkeylord, May 15, 2013.

  1. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    Today being sick and off early from work, was the first time I ever greeted the postman with any of my parcels. And it was a joyous occasion indeed :D

    The razor cam packed in it's original travel box, that says on the back in cyrillic "Britvennbyi aparat Ideal" (sure really now some of the letters correspond in latinic but that's the closest to a written translation I can get, it sounds a bit different as far as I know :) ), which means "razor aparatus Ideal". It also has a price of 9 rubals stamped in the factory (controlled economy in it's finest :D ).

    The condition of the razor is fairly good, although the handle is a bit darker than in the pictures I've seen prior to buying.
    [​IMG]

    The head and the adjusting mechanism seem to be nicely nickel plated and there is no signs of wear on it, and no dimps, cracks, tarnishes or any other imperfection except of one tiny blemish on the safety bar.The TTO and the adjustment mechanism both work nicely, the doors open and shut evenly and the dial turns and clicks nicely.

    The handle however is not of such solid construction. It seems to be made of some sort of aluminium alloy that tarnished to a grey color. And it has 2-3 nicks on the handle itself. But on the bright side there being no plating on the handle means I can give it a proper polishing treatment at work and try to bring out some shine out of the old babushka :D
    With the handle made of aluminium it's a bit head heavy but not too much.

    I gave it a bit of a clean and sanitized it in 96% alcohol for a few hours, and of course I had to give it a spin :bounce015:
    [​IMG]
    (here it is in the case and with some of the tarnish cleaned off, poor pic though :) )

    I started the shave off with a 5 setting but immediately up'ed it to 7 , and I had a very nice, and comfortable shave. No weepers and the ol' alum says no irritation at all :transport015:

    At 14$ (22 delivered) I think I did OK ;)

    I'll post some more pics after I clean and polish out the handle
     
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  2. GlennConti

    GlennConti Well-Known Member

    $22 delivered - Good score. Looks good. There is probably a cleaner that is specialized for the aluminum oxide. But I understand it will just keep re-oxidizing unless you coat it.
     
  3. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    I know and I'm thinking of some kind of a see through coating
     
  4. GlennConti

    GlennConti Well-Known Member

    You don't want to spend more on cleaners and such than you paid for the razor though. A solution of vinegar and water might work as a cheap way to remove the oxide. Don't know of a cheap way to coat it though. You have to see what you have. Maybe a furniture polish - I don't know.
     
  5. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    Been there done that, vinegar did a bit but not much, and I plan on doing my polishing with a acrylic and metal polishing agent we use on work for dental prosthetics so it isn't going to cost (me) anything :D
     
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  6. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    Nice buy. I have a Wizamet Jr. DE razor from Poland. I still haven't shaved with it, but it's LIGHT. It's even lighter than my aluminum handled Tech. These Eastern Bloc razors might not be pretty, but they look like they can still get the job done.
     
    Monkeylord likes this.
  7. ohpaos

    ohpaos Smiley Provider

    Would something like Renaissance Wax work? It's often used on metals
     
  8. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    dunno, maybe, but I never saw that in stores here :D
     
  9. jabberwock

    jabberwock Well-Known Member

    I remember reading a few reviews of this razor a while back. I always thought it was odd that it did not pop up more often seeing as it was well priced and well reviewed. From all accounts it is a very good razor and well worth the money.

    When I saw your thread my first thought was, "Hey, I know that razor!" It's nice to see it getting some attention again. The Soviets made a lot of good nock off items and I have always been a fan of their products (I own a few Zorki and FED cameras that I imported from the Ukraine and a handful of Soviet made lenses purchased at rock bottom prices from various junk bins in local camera shops). Enjoy the spiffy razor, I'm sure it will serve you well.
     
  10. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Clear nail polish maybe? Or shellac?
     
  11. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    Soviet's made killer optics and cameras, they took a bunch of machines and technology from the Zeiss factory in Germany after WWII, and they worked on it :)
     
  12. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    I have given both some serious tought, but I think shellac would be less apropriate on a metal surface especially a textured surface, and having in mind it's relative sensitivity to heat.
     
  13. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    [​IMG]
    Here's a photo with the handle polished (still doesn't do it justice, since my phone cam is lacking at best of times). I took some time and some burnt fingers to pull it off but it worked. I used a green polishing rouge u usually use for CoCrMo polishing , and some high luster polish for acrylics and noble metals.
    I thought of putting this pic in the SOTD section but this one shows the polish better than the others (you can imagine how the others look :D )
     
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  14. ohpaos

    ohpaos Smiley Provider

    She's so purrrrty! Looks great with your brush too.

    Regular nail polish isn't very durable in water (will eventually peel off in sheets.)...This is a link to UK eBay (fixed price, not an auction) so you can see what "Ren Wax" looks like & approx price. I'm not sure if/where it would be sold in Croatia though, or even if it's the best option. I've seen it in hardware & craft stores in the U.S.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/RENAISSANCE...eAntiques_Collectables_EH&hash=item2a2a8352dc
     
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  15. BigT

    BigT Well-Known Member

    Looking at the pictures, reading your description and knowing where this razor is manufactured, the handle could possibly be made from titanium. Russia uses it for everything. It is actually lighter than aluminum and poor grades of it will tarnish or oxidize.
     
  16. Tom R

    Tom R New Member

    It's actually a very nice shaver. I'm originally from Poland and purchased one after I started shaving with a DE. Nostalgia got the best of me. A friend owns one as well and enjoys it. You're right about its appearance. It won't win any beauty contests.

     
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  17. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    Nope,it's aluminium , too soft for titanium, and titanium takes on a shine very nice, at least the high grade stuff used for dental implants
     
  18. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    Nice. I really better get around to using it. It's in perfect condition too. Do you have any idea when these were made? I am guessing sometime in the 60's.
     
  19. Tom R

    Tom R New Member

    The ones I bought came in their original card boxes which included receipts daring to the early 80's. I can't check at the moment. From what I have been told, the polish asked forces actually issued these to their soldiers at one time. I would say its just a little more aggressive that say a Merkur 34. I've gotten some nice shaves with it. It does take a little time adjusting to it lack of heft though. Good luck.



     
  20. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    Thanks for the info. I have never tried a Merkur 34 C, but I heard it's a good razor for both beginners and veteran shavers.
     

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