I have been looking at some WW1 razors and have noticed just about all of them have split ends or split from top to bottom. Was this a weak point in the design or ??? Also, can they be fixed? Thanks in advance.
Those handles are a tube with the ends press-fit in. The tube is a thin-walled one though and the stress of the tightly fitted ends makes the tube crack over time. Can it be fixed? Well, yes but there are probably at least a few different levels of "fixing". You could epoxy the cracks to try to keep them from getting worse. If you want to restore it to new looking, it'll be harder to do but still possible if you're willing to put enough effort/time/money into it.
ok...thanks for replying. It has me going in a different direction now. I was looking at a site where he is making handles and have emailed him for prices. I am thinking this might be a better way to bring new life to an old razor. Sort of like bring an old beat up car to new life.
Depending on the razors you're talking about, there are probably a lot of nice, inexpensive, non-custom handles that would fit the heads. Probably some inexpensive vintage handles too.
Almost any handle will fit so if you don't have one already, you could buy another razor and probably use the head with it too.
well...Yes and No...we replace car panels when they get wrecked...why not the handle that is split from top to bottom? And if it looks good, even better! I don't think my beard will know the difference. Other older handles, was my first thought but I have not seen one that is not split. We are talking razors right at about 100 years old. It will be interesting to see.
I personally think a tube with a small split (1/2" or less) is fixable. I have a plan. Luckily, through buying mixed lots, I have ended up with several tubes with various splits to experiment with. It is my project for the week. I will post details... success or no.
OK, I am an HVAC tech and do some brazing with cooper pipes and was wondering how it would look/work. So did you just do the tube or the head and the tube?
I think you could do either depending on what you want out of the razor. For a functional fix, you could just leave everything in place and solder it. But I'd rather not have any lead involved. You could take the end pieces out, clamp the tube to close the crack and use silver paste to fix the crack. Then take a little off the ends so they don't stress the tube so much.
There are a few artisans making new stainless steel handles and I can guarantee that they can make you a replica if you really like the handle, or any of the standard Bulldog handle that Weber, Ikon, or Sabi sell should work on most vintage DEs. Good luck.
I just soldered the ends back into the brass tube. They're tight but the split remains visible. I was only concerned with functionality for this one. It's a user. I am bummed that the Old Style handles are always split. IMO they're a lot better than the solid brass "ball end" of later years.
I'm curious about this, too. I have a 1921 Old Type Gillette that was my great-grandfather's razor, with a crack in the butt and in the butt of the handle tube. I want to use it, so I've wondered about soldering the cracks. I want to preserve the appearance, so I'd like the cracks to disappear; failing that, I'd accept a smooth metal-on-metal repair. If there's danger of further damage, I suppose I would set it aside and use a replacement handle. I'd like that to be something interesting, maybe find some old stock I find in my grandfather's shed.
Matt from Razor Emporium talks about this in his youtube video "Razor Emporium: Is My Razor Broken?" He doesn't talk about fixing it, but mentions the use of inferior metals as a possible explanation for why so many of these handles are cracked. In regards to not wanting to use solder because of lead content. It really doesnt have to be an issued because 100% lead free solder is widely available. I don't think brazing would be good solution because you have to get the metal so hot that I'm sure it would ruin the finish of the razor. Just my opinion.
