Since we're doing Open Combs as the theme this month is was the perfect time to get Matthew the "haunted razor" out of hiding and see what I'm really working with. For those of you who have forgotten, I got this razor on an Ebay auction on a dare from
@Drygulch . I know. Me getting something because Adam dared me. Shocking. The story behind the razor was quite an interesting one. I think I saved the whole ad somewhere but basically, it's an older NEW SC that was owned by a man named Matthew who died in a war (WWII or maybe Korea) and the razor had never been used since. It was reported to be capable of suddenly moving across tables and even smashing glassware. They had it in a sealed box to contain it.
Ok, believe what you want and I'm not going to go any further into the paranormal aspect. Here are the facts about the razor. It is a NEW SC Deluxe and it still had a blade in it when I got it. The blade dated it to earlier than the mid 1950s, as the particular blade went out of production by then. So it's truly vintage and truly hadn't been used since before then. As a Deluxe, it's a bit rarer than most of the NEW Gillettes whether LC or SC. It is the short comb version though, which makes it even more unique. It seems to me the LC versions have outlived the SC over the years. I haven't looked up manufacturing data yet to see if the LC was produced more.
The razor came to me in rough looking shape. Seemed like a total replate was in order but I cleaned it up and sanitized it well enough for a few shaves with it. Fortunately its inner spirit didn't slash my throat. I contacted Chris and Razorplate about a gold replate but decided to wait a bit. Well, with OCtober here again and a couple of you finding some really awesome razors under some really terrible corrosion, I decided to experiment. Out came Matthew and here's what I did today. I apologize for the quality of some of the pictures (focus was off a bit).
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Pretty dull and dirty looking. Seems like a lot of plate loss. So how to determine better what's really there? A little online research and I decided a mild acid treatment would be best. Fortunately, I happen to have a bottle of mild acid solution in my refrigerator. I normally save it for fries and burgers and such. Some ketchup should work. A light coating of ketchup was applied and the pieces left to sit for about an hour. Then the rinse/brush took place. Here are the comparisons.
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While a bit difficult to see in the pictures, the difference was amazing. The smooth brassy areas are fairly stunning. The end of the handle is a very shiny brass. The baseplate is in great condition. The cap appears to have suffered nearly full plate loss, but the brass looks to be in good shape. It's smooth and not at all pitted. I'm tempted to go back to my Army training and try polishing the cap and handle with some good brass polish and see ir I can get a military shine to it. I see nothing structurally wrong with the razor and it makes me even more interested in getting it replated back to something resembling its original look. Probably gold.
I'll be using this razor during OCtober, obviously and I'm looking even more forward to it now. And, of course, it will be the razor I'll use last during the month. After all, when the final shave of the month falls on Halloween, using a haunted razor if you happen to have one is mandatory!
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