The Haul December 2024

Too bad the company didn't live up to it, otherwise they would have stopped with the Trac II and Astra.

That packaging is a bit over the top, eh? Looks good though.

 

I believe all the replating services have switched to platinum instead of rhodium, unless the price of rhodium has dropped in the last year or two? The difference between the two metals is negligible as far as appearance, but I think platinum is a slightly softer plating.

For this application the difference doesn't matter in the slightest. But I just wanted you to be aware of that.

Edit: Back Roads Gold is probably the cheapest replating service, but he moves between his properties, so there's a month long period twice a year when he doesn't offer a quick turn around on replating services.

Razor Emporium is more expensive, but is also a reliable service.

I don't have any experience with other replating services.

 

Most razors don't require tune-up. You can check it yourself by digging out some used blades, stacking them up until you have enough to fit snugly between the cap and guard, then stick the end of your blade stack in the slot between the guard and top cap at each corner. If there's no variance in the gap, it doesn't need a tune up.

Any gunk (hair, old shaving lather, oil, etc.) in the handle won't survive the plating process.

99% of the time, people that want a tune-up either want bent teeth straightened or Gillette adjustable mechanisms fixed or unstuck, and both procedures are a real pain to do, and are time consuming, and even if a person is good at it, it has a fairly low success rate.

 

If the razor is disassembled for plating, yes. If it isn't, then only the knob will be taken care of.

That being said, those are both simple fixes even without replating. I would put both of those issues as slightly more complex than typical razor maintenance, but way less complex than fixing a gap issue, bent tooth, or bent guard.

A tight knob is fixed by opening the razor and spraying down the inside of the tube with the aerosol version of 'scrubbing bubbles' bathroom cleaner, then opening and closing the razor a few times. Repeat as necessary. It has the added benefit of removing oxidation from nickel, and will leave the razor nice and shiny. Add one drop of light oil (3 in 1 or sewing machine oil). WD-40 will work, though it will make your razor smell like WD-40 for about two or three weeks. Guess how I know? I don't recommend it, or Hoppes #9 or Ballistol either, for the exact same reason.
Edit: Tight knobs are caused by a build-up of stubble and shaving soap on the interior of the tube 99% of the time. Corrosion can also cause it, but that's only found in manky razors that live full time in the shower for decades, and they generally are so badly pitted and corroded on the exterior they aren't worth trying to salvage.

The lazy door is fixed by bending the hinge attachment point (the 'wings') slightly. There's a few threads on it here, and I'm sure there's more than a few YouTube videos on the process. Watch a few to make sure you are weeding out the hacks from the people who actually know what they are doing. If they don't use round jawed jeweler's pliers or fail to tape up the teeth on needle nose pliers, they are probably a hack.

 

I picked up an old Canon EOS Rebel T100 camera and tripod from the local pawn shop cheap, since I had a lot of credit there. I'm thinking about doing a series of YouTube videos on the Rolls Razor (as current videos are somewhat lacking or full of misinformation) and wanted something I was familiar with, and I've already got the software editing programs on an old laptop.

I may end up just using my phone instead, but I wanted to brush up on my film and editing skills, and using a camera will force me to do that. Using a phone kind of feels like the easy way out, but I also have a tripod setup for it too if I go that route.