Restoring a 1971 Gillette Super 109

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Hawaiian Punch, Dec 28, 2017.

  1. Hawaiian Punch

    Hawaiian Punch New Member

    Hello, I recently purchased an amazing Gillette Super 109 and I would like some advice on polishing scratches out of the metal. I know it is made out of nickel plated brass and I'm not too sure about what I can use to give it a nice shine. Thank you for any help.
     
    RyX and Enrico like this.
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    First, welcome to the Den.
    Any metal polish such as Flitz should do the trick, provided the scratches aren't too deep
     
    Hawaiian Punch likes this.
  3. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    High their, @Hawaiian Punch , glad you dropped in to join us. Looking forward to seeing that 109. Like Steve said, Fitz polish is a good start.
    zwelcome1a.jpg
     
    Hawaiian Punch likes this.
  4. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    Welcome @Hawaiian Punch glad you decided to join us at TSD. First I would like to suggest stopping in to the welcome center to introduce yourself and to find the drawings and information new members could always use.

    The Gillette 109 or Black Beauty is a fine razor and I'm sure you'll get some excellent shaves from it. My suggestion to start is to take hot tap water (not boiling) and some Dawn dish soap and soak your razor in it. This will release a lot of the soap scum; you can repeat this several times and use an old tooth brush to remove and make your restore easier. The polish you use (if you so desire) should be very mild so as not to damage the finish on your razor.

    I hope this helps and remember post pics; we really like pics. :D
     
    RyX and Hawaiian Punch like this.
  5. Hawaiian Punch

    Hawaiian Punch New Member

    Thanks for the hospitality! What would you recommend applying it with? Fine steel wool?
     
  6. Hawaiian Punch

    Hawaiian Punch New Member

    I'll definitely post pictures once I'm done! It looks very classy with the original case.
     
    RyX and Jayaruh like this.
  7. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    I would just use a terry cloth (no steel wool :eek:)
     
    Knox, Jayaruh and Hawaiian Punch like this.
  8. Hawaiian Punch

    Hawaiian Punch New Member

    Thank you very much, there will definitely be pictures!
     
    Jayaruh likes this.
  9. Hawaiian Punch

    Hawaiian Punch New Member

    Thank you for the advice, I wasn't sure if steel wool would be too much for the plating. While it's on my mind, do you know of any sort of plastic polish for the smaller scratches on the clear case cover?
     
    Jayaruh and jimjo1031 like this.
  10. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Good advice here about no steel wool and using Flitz. By the way, Flitz can also be used on plastic. If it needs a stronger one, while working in a glass shop, we used Novus Plastic polish. It comes in different grades or grits. It's the best stuff for plastic.
     
    RyX and Jayaruh like this.
  11. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    Turtle Wax sells rubbing compound (sold at Walmart cheap) in 2 level of aggression. I also use it on restoring brush handles.
    _0001_compound-kit.jpg
     
    RyX and Jayaruh like this.
  12. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    This too.........
     
    Jayaruh likes this.
  13. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Yup.
     
    Jayaruh likes this.
  14. Herm2502

    Herm2502 off to elf practice

    Be careful with the handle of that BB. You can't clean it much it the paint starts to come off. You can use Testors black modeling paint to touch up the black.

    Herm
     
    Enrico likes this.
  15. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    :signs011:
     
  16. DRIVER_B

    DRIVER_B Member

    Pictures please

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
     
  17. Mark Tyers

    Mark Tyers Member

    Silly question (I need to repair my 109 handle as well, would this be gloss or flat black?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
  18. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    I’m sorry no one got back to you sooner, but I would say testors gloss black is the easiest and probably one of the best choices.

    :eatdrink013:
     
    brit and jimjo1031 like this.
  19. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Testor's is a very durable paint. As I think the aluminum handle can take it, a mild baking in a toaster oven would help it adhere better and take a bit more punishment.
     
    brit likes this.
  20. brit

    brit in a box

    yes sir, or a heat gun used carefully. testors enamels bake up nicely ..
     
    Enrico and jimjo1031 like this.

Share This Page