I've gone through phases of looking for a Fatboy since I joined here, but they've always been either out of my price range (or just more than I was willing to spend) or in deplorable condition. Well I was perusing the eBay last week and saw a Fatboy that albeit very dirty looked like it was in decent shape. I wasn't really looking for one but I put a bid on it and promptly forgot about it, assuming someone would outbid me. Well they didn't. So today in the mail - my Fatboy dated 1960 (F 1) And for once I have before pics! And after a little toothbrush & dish soap treatment: Not perfect by a long shot, but definitely much nicer than how it got here. The only that worries me a little is the gap between the dial and the handle. Is that supposed to be there? It looks like it's not supposed to be exposed - it's black and I can't tell if it's a gasket of sorts or just unfinished metal. The other thing is that when you tighten it down there's a pretty aggressive "click" or "snap" that my slims definitely don't have right at the end. Is this normal Fatboy stuff?
I got no answers to your questions but I do have a congrats for you. I've had the fortune of going through several razors but have yet to shave with a Fatboy. Way to persevere
Gap doesn't look like it's a problem. The "click" is something I'm not familiar with, though. May it serve you well for many shaves to come.
You may need to finish the cleaning process by boiling some water in a pan. Take the water off the heat. Immediately put some Dawn dish washing liquid in the hot water. Wait a minute then put the razor in the water and let soak for 30 mins. Do not heat the water again. Let the water slowly cool with the razor in it. That should get most of the grime that is inside the handle out and will allow for less friction internally and a freer turn. Spray a couple of sprays of WD-40 top (plate center pin) and bottom (where the turn screw meets the body). That should eliminate the water and allow for a cleaner mechanism. Now as to the base plate, one of my Fat Boys has a slight space and it does not seem to affect it. Also, the Fat Boys use an earlier version of the adjustable mechanism. All of my FBs sound a little louder to the adjustment than my Slims. Hope this helps!
What ^ that guy said!!! (Let the water cool a bit though - I boiled a couple to death and am a little gun shy!)
I had a very similar problem with my Fatboy, it clicked when I loosened the blade and never really felt like it had the 1/4 turn either. The problem with mine was the shaft on the inside which controls the butterfly doors was full of goo and the bushing/stop on the inside of the base of the handle was stuck. Check out the 7th picture in this tutorial: http://vintagesaws.com/fatboy/fatboy.html I never used the hammer and vice to take mine apart an further than the 7th picture. The bushing you can see in the 13th pic. I just kept soaking it and push the bushing with a small dowel until it moved freely. After really cleaning the inside, it works like it is brand new with major disassembly. I think the only time you would want to totally take everything apart would be if it was getting re-plated. I hope this helps.
That is the next step if you cannot rid the internal goo and grime with the hot water method and there is something afoul inside the mechanism that will not easily come out.
Thanks, that's a great resource - very well written and detailed. I don't have a vice though and at the moment it looks a little intense. I think I'm going to ride it out for now, if it gets worse I'll take another look at it. Upon closer inspection, what looks like is happening is it tightens up to a certain point, then sticks a little but when you go past the click the doors close about 1mm at once, then the razor operates normally and tightens the rest of the way. I'll keep an eye on it for sure though, see if anything changes. Other than the click the mechanism is very smooth, as is the 1-9 adjustment.
Great buy and good clean up, I also won a fatboy and slim I only get them next month and cant wait to try em. I hope it serves you well for many years.
