November 17th
Razor: 1938 British Gillette Aristocrat
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (3)
Brush: Chubby 2 Clone
SS & AS: Stirling Intrepid Man
I got a surprise yesterday. An Aristocrat I purchased a month ago showed up. The seller posted a tracking number which said, "waiting for package" for weeks. When I contacted them they said the international package wasn't trackable. I was sure I'd been ripped off and was just waiting for the required time to open a Paypal dispute. Well, it showed up. Its original plating was all but gone on the doors with green corrosion showing through on several spots on the handle, but minimal pitting. The perfect candidate for replating.
So, last night I put it in the tumbler, handed and polished on my wheel. I couldn't sleep last night so I got up and plated it in Nickel this morning. It turned out really nice. I'll be plating it in Rhodium eventually, but I'd have to put a plate of nickel on first anyway and now I can use it without fear of making the corrosion worse.
I shouldn't walk out in my shop before work. I ended up getting into the shower late and rushed the shave. Not bad, but nothing special either. Some irritation for going too fast.
As far as my pair or Gen 1 Aristocrats, one has a solid bar and this one has the wings. The near-mint condition razor will be for use on special occasions and this will be in my regular rotation.
I guess I won't be disputing the charges. Even though the seller took a big risk. I could easily be dishonest and say I never received it. The tracking number he gave clear says, "waiting for item", even now.
I value my honesty too much to take advantage of, but the situation did cause me to worry. I thought I'd been ripped off for sure.
View attachment 239299
Click to expand...
