Thread: Random Find

Originally Posted by BigJim

Grabbed up the Fat Boy over lunch today and noticed it rather squeaky, and it felt like metal rubbing metal. Would you guys recommend 3 in 1 machine oil to keep it operating smoothly? Or is a sqeaky action just a part of DE razors/Fatboy razors?

Just a small drop of that or sewing machine oil will help

Originally Posted by rodb

Just a small drop of that or sewing machine oil will help

Thanks Rod, you're the man!

So far as I'm aware 3 in 1 IS sewing machine oil...it's what my wife uses anyway. I use it to keep spray guns clean and corrosion free for storage between painting runs.

Originally Posted by BigJim

May be. Tightening it down pulled the edges toward the bar, effectively doing the same thing as running the collar up to 9. Any tips on how to tune her up to work like she's supposed to would be great. I woke up this morning to NO razor burn (shaved on #1 with the butterfly just to the closed position without being loose). So I pitched the Hydro for good. Once my straights get back I plan on using them primarily, but I'll keep this fat boy as a better experience shaving with better results (and much cheaper replacement blades!).

Sorry BigJim, I'm not much of a razor restoration guy so I'm not a lot of help there. If it is a looseness issue I'm not sure that oil will help, but perhaps some of the experienced DE repairmen will chime in.

Glad to hear you're liking the DE shaving so far.

Just finished my second shave with the same razor (and blade). Not as happy tonight as I was last night. Don't know if it's because I had higher expectations, the quality of blade used, or the fact that I seemed to keep bumping the twist knob and loosening the silo doors. Face doesn't feel as good as it did last night, but we'll see if razor burn develops.

Hey Jim! Be careful with the GEM. That is one of the aggresive GEM razors. As advised before, don't use paint scraper blades in it. The SE razors are really nice to use once you learn how to handle them and I find the shave lasts significantly longer than the shave from a DE razor.

For what it's worth, I did not wake up with any serious razor burn after my second shave. There were a few reddish spots, but no burn feeling; nothing like the razor burn I remember from way back the last time I had it. (Years ago).

Tonight I shaved for the third time with the fatboy, with side two of the Wilkinson blade and it felt better than last night's shave. Definitely glad I discovered these razors.

Update: Got the SE blades Rod sent me today and tried them out on the GEM. From the look of it I didn't think I was putting the blade in properly as there was a lot of comb sticking out, but at the proper angle this think cuts through the whiskers like nothing's there. Definitely a cool razor and one I'll play around with more until I can get a straight in order (and then probably afterward just because I think they're pretty cool pieces of engineering).

Thanks for the input and help fellas.

Peace,

My Gem Micromatic has a bar instead of the comb, but shaves really well. They can be very non-forgiving if the angle is wrong.

Gem and EverReady razors (same thing) are pretty easy to find, the flip top model is really nice

Here's one

That's a nice looking razor. I didn't show mine well in the photo, but mine's got a reverse fluted handle. Yours is a lot fancier, but I think they're pretty neat, especially for their age.

Rodb -

That's not a Gem Micromatic. It's a '1912' model.

That's a really good razor, and it's probably the most loved of the SE models. It's a lot less aggressive than the open comb micromatic the OP has.

BigJim -

Nice pickup on the Slim, Fatmoy and the Micromatic. They're all good razors.

I use a bullet-tip micromatic a lot. Amazingly nice shave.