Mystery DE in the hands of a noob

Hey All,
I've been a straight-razor shaver for some time now, and know diddly about double-edged things. However, my Mom just uncovered her Dad's old DE, and I'm posting pictures below. I'm thinking if I clean it up with Brasso some more etchings might show up, but the thing is worn pretty smooth. Any ideas about what it might be would be appreciated. And, don't worry, I'll watch the videos before trying to shave with the thing.

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I dunno. Look under the bottom plate for something.

My guess is an old type Gillette, open comb. Polished-up will look keen and shave great!

Someone will be along with good info!

You might find what model of Gillette DE it is on here:

mr-razor

I'd try cleaning it up with something milder than Brasso first.

When you do try and shave with it just place the top cap flat on your face with the handle parallel to the floor. Then rotate the handle downward till you can just feel the blade on your face. That should be the right angle on the blade for starters. Try and let just the weight of the razor do the work without leaning on it. Just like with SRs the right angle and weight are important.

Bob

Yep, A Standard Old! As said, clean it up with some polish. If the handle is cracked, its an easy fix. They were pressed together and after years the handles would crack/split. Great little shavers. I enjoyed using mine and I still have it. Most of them were plated but over the years the plating wore off. Look it up on the Gillette dating guide.

Thanks All! It looks like it might be a 1921 Gillette Brownie - which fits with the age of my grandfather. I'll clean it up and post back what it looks like when it's ready to be used!

Since the razor is a family heirloom, maybe a pro restoration is a consideration. Here are links to 4 places that do DE restoration work. Some searches in other shaving forums may give you a feel for which of these places are well-rated and etc.

Delta Echo Razor Works — Home
North Shore Razors — Home
Razor Restoration Services
Razor Replating for vintage safety razors - HIBCO SHAVE SHOPPE

There are different layers of identification for those old Gillettes.

At I high level I think it is a Gillette Tech open comb

Going down a level it is a Gillette ball tip/ball end open comb. It may be a Gillette Brownie, though I can't identifiy it to that level.

I strongly agree with SemperFi. So many of us wish we had a razor from our parents or grand parents. This razor isn't the one to learn on.

Below are the different levels of restoration from one of the providers SemperFi mentioned. Personally, my preference would be only the Tune-Up unless there is damage. Replating, etc... makes it really cool, but removes the history as well, at least in my opinion.


1. TUNE UP gives your razor a basic revitalization, while keeping the razor completely original. Our technicians clean, buff, adjust, paint, and sanitize your razor with the utmost care and attention to detail. In some cases, we understand that there can be significant wear on a razor which cannot be removed with a standard Tune Up. In this case, we also offer a service that addresses your razor's plating.

2. RAZOR REVAMP service includes the Tune Up service and goes one step further by providing resurfacing, polishing and replating your razor. Just choose a precious metal, add it to your cart, and enjoy a Revamped Vintage razor for years to come! If your razor has pitting/deep scratches/rust you will need to select Satin Nickel. This matte finish utilizes Glass Bead Blasting to smooth out the metal and disguise the damage better than the mirror-finished precious metals.

STRAIGHT RAZOR RESTORATION:

This service provides cleaning, polishing, honing, and custom handcrafted handles, bringing you a completely Shave Ready razor you can use for years to come!

I would just scrub it good with an old toothbrush and some Colgate paste, hand polish it with Maas, perhaps a few coats of wax. Use it! It's a blade-holder!

Even all the teeth look straight! :tu

I'm with Sharptonn. Its a great shaver. Give it a go with your favorite DE Blade. It will do a fine job.

Gillette Old Type or a clone - I can't make out any marks on the head but it might not be visible. A Brownie refers to the case it comes in. Without the case, it's an OT.

I agree, sure looks like an Old Type. I have a few New Types, Techs, a Fat Boy, a Speed; some oddballs like a Star; tried a bunch of them fancy new razors; for my money the Old Type is the perfect DE, so I think you lucked out. Of course for shaving pleasure there's nothing like a straight.

BTW Hibco does beautiful plating work at a good price and they are nice people.

Thanks for the new knowledge, mpontiff. I'll correct my terminology.

Thanks, jmabuse. I'll try fixing it up myself, but will definitely keep Hibco in my thought.

And, I agree completely - I use my straights daily, but I'll try to get this guy up and running for travel purposes. Years ago, I could mail my straights ahead of me when I flew, but shipping fees have eliminated that option. Now, onto DEs.

Here are a couple of my old Gillette DE's I keep on display. Looks like the old needs a bit of cleaning, Ha.
The OLD (aprox. 1920) has the bullets that hang down thru the base plate. The NEW (aprox. 1930) doesn't have the bullets and has longer comb teeth. Both are great shavers. If I had to say one was better than the other I'd say the old was better. Dont know why I'd say that as they both shave about the same.
Both of these are the standard "Ball End" and both used to be plated. All the plating has worn away and now are polished brass. I like the look of the brass.

Clean up yours with a tooth brush and soap, Slap some polish on it and spend an hour or two polishing. Then drop in your fav. DE blade and enjoy the shave, thinking about when it was made and who used it over the years! :beer1:

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BTW in terms of aggressiveness I find the Old to be the Goldilocks razor. The Tech is too mild and I can't always tell if the edge is in contact with my skin; the New is too aggressive and I nick myself; the Old -- "this one is just right!"

So, here it is, more cleaned up. Like Gasman's, it has the hanging bullets, making me think it's an Old Type from Wayback. This isn't what could have been done by a professional, I'm sure, but it's what I could pull off. Blades will be coming tomorrow!
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Looks like your half way there. Ha. Keep polishing and this thing will sparkle. But i bet your just in the same boat as me and using the cell phone for pics. It never does justice. If youve used DEs before you will be in great shape. If not then just go slow and easy. Read about the angles. What helped me was to picture in my mind the razor in contact with my face. Keep all three pieces touching the skin at the same time. Blade, base and top cap. And NO PRESSURE!. Hold it by the ball end at first. Weight of the razor. Good luck.

Baking soda and vinegar will greatly help you clean that beautiful DE. Just beautiful! Good luck.

Great! What proportions?

This is a picture from yesterday morning, but I used the DE for everything in this morning's shave. Worked great! I suspect that, next to a straight razor, I have no idea what "aggressive" means - but the razor and blade worked beautifully. Thanks for all your help!
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When I used DEs I never went with aggressive open comb razors as they just cut me up too much. Now that I use straights I know what a light touch means and so DEs are all fine for me. I think in your case going from straights to DEs is probably a much easier learning curve.

I went from cartridge razors to DEs to straights. Now when I travel if I have to go back to a previous method DEs wherever possible, cartridge if not. My shaves are much better than before.

Glad you managed to clean this up and shave with it. I wish I had something from my grandfather in my shaving collection.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Porl

When I used DEs I never went with aggressive open comb razors as they just cut me up too much. Now that I use straights I know what a light touch means and so DEs are all fine for me. I think in your case going from straights to DEs is probably a much easier learning curve.

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Yes, I found that after I had gotten a good grip on how to shave with a straight razor using an aggressive DE was no big deal anymore. Using a straight razor taught me the importance of finding the right angle to use with any razor type and exactly what a light touch meant.

I do believe that the OC razor the OP used to shave with is an aggressive one. The design of the head may have been for the use of the early thicker style DE blades. Using the modern thin ones may also contribute to the aggressiveness of the razor. Those old style OC Gillette razors will shave right up there with a straight razor for me.

Bob

Yeah, it worked as well as my Dovo. Still figuring out the ATG pass, but it'll come. I do think shaving with straights has given me an edge (intended) in using a DE razor. If I'd gone from cartridges, I probably would have cut myself up pretty badly by now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

I do believe that the OC razor the OP used to shave with is an aggressive one. The design of the head may have been for the use of the early thicker style DE blades. Using the modern thin ones may also contribute to the aggressiveness of the razor.

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I think the old thicker razor blades would make an Old Type more aggressive, not less aggressive -- it's less aggressive with modern thin blades. This is because a thicker blade lifts the edge away from the cap (the base plate). Some people shim the Old Type to make it more aggressive. With Astra SPs, Old Types feel to me about the same as a Fat Boy dialed to 5.