It could be polished brass, couple of months if no patina forms on it that will be the definitive answer.
We'll agree to disagree. Looks the same as my NOS/minty gold MMOCs. Lots of plating gone from cleaning Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
I will keep that in mind if I don’t find one in a few months. I see a fair share of clog proofs in my hunts. I need to pay more attention to them now. The thrill of the hunt! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Looks more like old soap than green brass rot... As for mine, when you zoom in you can see the "waves" and "ripples" in the gold plating on the hump and the door...
I tried a few times with a two or three Gems and found no love .... that's ok, I have plenty of the razors.
That was the same way about 11 years ago when I first tried a Gem razor. After a couple of times of getting ate up, I went back to my DEs and injectors. Fast forward 11 years and now it's one of my most beloved razors. Chalking it up to my technique having improved over those years.
I currently have a collection of 50+ razors. If I had to whittle it down to 1, the Clog Pruf would probably be last man standing, including DE, SE, Injectors and shavettes. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
I think part of what of puts people off to Gem razors and SE razors in general is that when they first use them they try to shave them like DE razors. That will rip your face up something serious, between using them at the wrong angle and not being used to thicker stiff blades makes for a rough experience. My first go round with a Gem wasn't a pleasant experience for the above reasons but now I can use that same razor after learning how to use a Gem style SE correctly with nary a care as I whip it around my face.
I am willing to concede they did plate these in a gold since they did state they were gold in ads during 1946 when the MKII was being sold. I am just not convinced the 2 examples shown here, yours and jmudrick's are from the pictures is all. Bigger scheme of things is if you enjoy the one you have is what is important. I know I do and my MKII Clog Pruf is a beater but firmly in the N.F.S. (not for sale) razor camp of collection.
So you see advertisements that say they came in gold but his and mine are mysteriously just raw brass? Maybe it's just not showing well on your screen but I am 1000% positive that mine is gold plated.
Are these the blades most folks use? And for the record, the Gem has never torn me up. It’s just not as close a shave as I’d like. As many have said perhaps I should try a G Bar?
Yes, that's the SE blades most people use. Honestly, in the search for the right SE for you, I'd suggest trying several GEM and Every Ready models. Or at least the ones that the most people recommend.
As Tom said, that's a great razor according to many people. The bullet tip, with "guiding eye" in the center on the door. That one is next on my list to acquire. I had one of the rare ones with the plastic bullet tip knob, and NOS blade dispenser steel sealed in cellophane, in my eBay watch list but when I went back to buy it yesterday, someone else already had. It was a BIN listing. I was having an internal debate on whether or not I wanted to spend the $40 on it. I snoozed. I losed. lol The plastic bullet tip knob, as I understand it, was the last variant and not sold for long, which is why they changed to a plastic knob - and which is why they are rarely seen. It also didn't have the "guiding eye".
If for nothing else, even if I decided I wasn't going to use it because I just can't imagine any of them being any better than my GEM Clog Pruf, I should have gotten it for collecting purposes. The plastic knob ones just don't come around that often, especially NOS.
