Thread: GEM SE razor needs some work

Recently acquired this GEM SE razor to work on, it belongs to a work colleague.
He has asked for it to be cleaned up nice and would like to try shaving with it.
From my search so far ir seems to be a 1912 razor with some sort of scroll work on the handle.
It was stored in a shed that leaked when it rained so is in a sad state.

It came in the original Bakelite? box with built in blade bank and used razor storage spots.
The box cleaned up OK with nearly all rusty marks now gone, just a small crack to take away a bit from the appearance.
The razor is going to need a lot of work to get it right, so far it has had a good scrub using an old toothbrush and Toothpaste, and soaked in hot water and Baking Soda twice.
This removed most of the rusty marks with some bright metal showing through.

For the next step, I'm thinking either sand blasting or soda blasting would be effective to get back to clean metal.
Would this be a worthwhile step to take??
Some pics to show the razor are below.

As it appeared on first inspection




After initial clean up

wow! looks like something salvaged from the Titanic. i would think something gentle like a soda blaster would be the way to go or maybe buffing with a wire wheel on your Dremel. is it made from steel or brass?

Good luck with that restore, phew!

Originally Posted by tintin

wow! looks like something salvaged from the Titanic. i would think something gentle like a soda blaster would be the way to go or maybe buffing with a wire wheel on your Dremel. is it made from steel or brass?

I think it's plated brass but difficult to tell for sure.
Maybe somebody with more experience can provide the information on that issue.
The Dremel is not getting too close to this razor, too easy to cause untold damage with those things.

Will be talking to a sandblaster during the week ahead and get their thoughts
They should be able to dial down the air pressure to about 60psi, as long as the media is not really course it may be OK.

The 1912 style are brass that is plated with nickel. I would try a good long soak in a CLR solution first. Worst case scenario, you can buy a much better condition one for around $20.

Are you planning one re-plating? I can only assume the pitting is gong to be pretty bad.

Another option to consider is having it replated but if it is badly pitted that would still show. I think you are right that it is plated bass. Those are fine shavers. Good luck with furthering your restore.

Bob

Too slow on the draw again.

@ MattCB
I will try soaking in CLR for a few hours and see how it turns out - thanks for the tip mate.
This razor belongs to a friend and so far he is not keen to re-plate it.

@BobH
As said above razor will not be re-plated, hope the pitting is not too severe
Maybe if it is my friend will rethink the re-plating issue

That's gonna need some TLC. I wouldn't use a normal sand blaster, be gentle with it. If using a wire brush for a Dremel get a brass one. It will not scratch it up. That's gonna take some gentle work but it will pay off in the end. It already looks better than it did so keep up the good work. Continue working with an old toothbrush too. You got it looking better so I think you can get it looking a little better the way you have been doing with it. You might soak it in some baking soda & water solution or something effective but not damaging. Don't use any vinegar on it. I think it will come out a little cleaner than it already is. Nice piece of history.

Jimmy is right, it might not be worth the time & trouble trying to bring that thing back to life. It has been submitted to the wrong elements too long.

Many thanks for your replies gents.
As has been said before this razor is not one of mine, so binning it is not an option at this time.

It belongs to a good friend of mine and he has asked me to see what I can do with it.
I said to him I will give it my best attention to see how it turns out
This one belonged to his father so it has some strong sentimental value.

I will keep working with the toothbrush and alternate with baking soda and water solution soakings.
I think there is some more improvement to be had yet, though it may end up as a display piece.
Good experience builder of nothing else.