Someone stop me!!! Seriously! help me... This one is interesting. The pins have been filed. Perhaps to use some propriety blade? Both are coming out of France so... And because. I mean c'mon!!!
Technically, these arrived on Saturday, but I've only had them in my hands since this morning... The Aristocrat appears to be a 1941. The seller was concerned that it and the case were mismatched, but it appears to be the same as this set: From the original pictures, I thought that the handle might not have been gold plated, but that just seems to be reflection and normal wear. The only issue seems to be a dropped knob, though it took forever to clean out the green gunk/soap scum in the blade tray and inside the doors. (At least there was no old blade in it.) The case will be going to @jimjo1031 as soon as I can get it in the mail as he has kindly offered to fabricate a replacement for the missing bottom liner. (Jim, do you need the razor as well or do you have a 'Crat that you can use for fit?) I'm both looking forward to and a bit intimidated by the upcoming shave with this razor. It is my first pre-War Gillette TTO and I understand them to be a bit more aggressive than the later ones that I'm used to. The two Bakelite razors were a separate purchase. The one on the left is a Bakelite Tech with an incorrect handle; it came with a Gillette Blue Blade with a "T2" date code (1948). (Anybody have a spare Gillette Bakelite handle?) The one on the right has no branding, but appears to be a Clix, probably a Five Hundred.
I can use my '48-'50 Aristocrat for the fitting. Also, using black epoxy paint that's used for appliances would restore those heads nicely. My Aristocrat shaves great, and assuming the gap on mine and yours are the same, it's about equal to a Fatboy on #6, at least to me anyway.
Picked up these two brushes the other day. Now I need to order some new knots. An Ever Ready 100S and a Hard Right brush. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk