90 Year Old Razor Restoration

Could this be an original Gillette razor?
Restoration of a 90 Year Old Safety Razor. Made of brass and originally nickel-plated.
Originally I though this was a Gillette from the 1930s because it looks just like one. After cleaning it up it was obviously a Japanese razor, made in the same era. Found that it was missing its guard, so had to design and fabricate a replacement from brass. Hope you enjoy the restoration!
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[@MMitchellMarmel]

An interesting historical note: Gillette used to sell these razors inexpensively or even give them away; making their money off the replacement blades. This business model continues to this day with other products such as computer printers, Swiffers et cetera.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yes! And that model works. This company took Gillettes idea and applied it to Japan and did the same thing. They are still the largest manufacturer of razor blades in Japan.

[@charlesbaldo]

Kodak used it with their film cameras. They gave you the Camera knowing you would buy and develop. I worked there on a project with digital photography that was the opposite. They sold you an expensive camera and gave you free cloud space to store and share photos, hoping you would buy digital prints. But it was to easy and cheap to buy a photo printer. Kodak filed bankruptcy.

[@030398ryoma]

@Michael O Callaghan video games are always an interesting one to think about. There's nothing more frustrating than being prompted to spend more than originally anticipated. But (sorry), video games have been priced at $60 since 2005, 16 years now! Given the rate of inflation since then, video games should be priced at $70 if not $80 to keep up. I know that a sudden price hike like that would upset many (myself included) but it's no wonder why DLC and paid online content is an issue now. Games, especially AAA titles, are more expensive than ever to develop but their sale price hasn't kept up. Interesting to see what direction this will head.

[@user_friendly_9388]

@@030398ryoma I would rather pay 100 dollars for a normal game release. Also I would rather let companies develop DLC that doesn't feel as you're "missing out" on something that will make your game much better or in some extreme cases, it will add to the main quest. This is a long conversation, I've been involved in decades of Forum discussions in the community, all I can tell you is this, this is their marketing/sales strategy today because it will allow them to in the end and in some cases price the game around a normal number to generate profit (around 80 dollars) or even more. On top of that it makes the titles relevant for much longer (keeping themselves away from the Movie's industry sharp decline upon release). Only some smaller indie developers make full games, becase they're usually simple titles not huge sandbox experience with online multiplayer support, jus try to keep your bucks for games that you really enjoy and they're not only money making schemes.

[@nathanbinns6345]

It’s funny because today replacement blades cost pennies. It’s one of the big draws of wet shaving.

[@DonaldDump2024]

I began shaving with vintage 1950’s Gillette razors 15 years ago. Then my son got me started on straight razors 5 years ago. I enjoy the challenge of sharpening, stropping and shaving with a straight razor but I tell you, the expense isn’t worth it. Double edge is much more time and cost effective. But I’m retired so I can afford the time and money it takes. But to manufacture your own shaving razor part!? That’s an amazing level of skill and expense that I’ll never attempt. My admiration.

[@johnblack6134]

My father had one of these. He shaved with it every day until his death in 1970. I wish now that I had kept it.

[@rosemarymagrino772]

That’s the kind of razor my dad used to use, with the mug and the brush of course. RIP Dad❤️💕

[@antonyisaacs6051]

That razor looks like the one my dad has it was used by my grandfather he passed it down to my dad now it's used by my dad and he's still using it

[@-Deena.]

Same 🧡

[@pqworks9019]

You did a great job!!!!! That was interesting the way you showed us how you designed the missing part on that computer program. Nice job! It really turned out well!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@johnbarron4027]

I have used a safety razor for years, it saves so much money.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah the blades sure do last longer, and are much sharper. Not to mention cheaper.

[@lawrence1md]

Sweet! I was hoping you put a feather blade in there…

[@ElizabethFranquiEsq]

Wow! The milling process is fascinating! Love your work!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you!

[@fisheyenomiko]

I know, right?! Honestly, that could be its own ASMR right there... (-:

[@TrueFork]

@@AcmeRestorations do you privately own all that cool equipment? I think where I live I'd need a special license to handle nickle plating chemicals

[@timehunter9467]

It’s so rare to see people shave this way still, I changed to the bowl and brush with the double edge razor, never going back. Can be a bit too close a shave but great to see this one restored too, amazing job of machining the missing part too!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@GilaMonster971]

There is a growing number of people using double edge razors because disposables are so expensive. I have been using a double edge razor for over 20 years. It costs me about $5/year to shave, my favorite blades (Astra) are less than $0.10 each.

[@timehunter9467]

@@GilaMonster971 That’s what’s great, blades are waaaay cheaper.

[@mushfiqurrahman2515]

This is really awesome, this restoration

[@BareumKim]

Buen trabajo amigo 👍

[@milesnoell]

I chuckle because you show a Feather brand razor using Merkur brand blades, and I use a very similar Merkur brand razor fitted with Feather brand blades. I hold the razor at a different angle though.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah, I wish it had occurred to me to me to purchase some Feather razor blades to use in this video. Seems pretty obvious now :) Thanks for watching.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Very Cool Razor restoration !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CarsRestored]

Me: No way he can restore this ACME Restorations: Hold my tools

[@howler6490]

A genuine pleasure to watch.Well done ,sir.

[@arturisusov5651]

Cool thing. Effective. Great job

[@sbybill3271]

Amazing manufacturing skills!!!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you very much!

[@andrepienaar6459]

I was searching for the reason for the complicated pattern on the inside of razor blade for a long time, but couldn't find anything. After years of searching someone on facebook (I think the person was from Gillette) said that it was done to standardize the blades, so that any blade could fit any shaver. I thought it was designed this way to keep the blade from deforming during shaving, etc etc etc, but the real reason was much simpler than that!! The cell phone guys have started to do the same with their chargers. Keep up the good work!

[@bAkewelle]

The pattern no the blade is from another company that was backward compatible with Gillette, Gillette finally bought the other company after court battle

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yes, and when their patent ran out on those blades, they actually changed the design of their razors.

[@bAkewelle]

@@AcmeRestorations Thank god it it did not stick, and know wee have cheap blades options.

[@thebretternator728]

Came out beautifully! Well done

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you! 😊

[@RustyCraftsman]

Great project! Carving a new part - that was awesome!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Glad you liked it!

[@jasonclapp5051]

Nice job mate! I enjoyed watching the process to make the base plate from scratch. It's cool having the name engraved into the handle as well.

[@adonis9291]

Amazing Simplesmente fantástico

[@stormkhan4250]

Nice restore. I inherited a Gillete that was my grandfathers which I refurbished about 1 yr ago. It wasn't in quite the crusty state yours was but the cleaning methods were very similar. This Gillette does not come apart to replace the blade like yours. Instead it has a knurled knob at the bottom which you turn to open up the top of the razor. The top part opens up like a 2 petal flower to reveal the blade which you then replace and turn the knob the other way to close up the petals to become a razor again. I found it to be quite a cool little mechanism. Simple but satisfying. :)

[@justingrover7657]

I have one of those. It's from my great great grandpa

[@klav5930]

Outstanding!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks! One of my least watched restorations, but the one I am the most proud of. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@duaneho555]

Nice job! 👍🏻

[@American_Jeeper]

Great job, especially with the machined guard! I like the 1993 James Hetfield trim too! 😁

[@AcmeRestorations]

LOL. That only lasted a day!

[@theropesofrenovation9352]

Very, very nicely done.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you very much!

[@persioboni9373]

Excelente !

[@mattson6996]

Great job!!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you!

[@eido1on]

Awesome job, beautiful razor. Feather makes their razors from surgical stainless steel now days, and the guard is combless (doesn't have those little "teeth")

[@guataco]

Lovely. I have one similar from my father.

[@dixonqwerty]

Very nice.

[@RESTORATIONOFSCRAPMETAL]

amazing job ,Like as always.👍

[@gibmelson7628]

top job !!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@AcmeRestorations]

Much appreciated

[@MetalRestorationBho]

Great my friend! This is a masterpiece. Congratulation from Vietnam.🙂🙂🙂

[@siddharthtechguide7573]

No one asked 🙄

[@Jarvis_923]

@@siddharthtechguide7573 why do you have to ruin it?

[@matthewirizarry8467]

Hey, i got those exact pliers. They good.

[@markjeffels3327]

I have a very similar razer from the early 1930's I inherited that I use made be Wilshire blades!

[@Scuba128]

Feather is still around and making blades. I use them in my razor and they're very good ones.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yes! They changed the name of the company to Feather eventually. They were the first Japanese razor blade manufacturer and are still the largest. I wish I had thought to purchase some of their blades for this project. Thanks for the comment!

[@leoliguez8833]

That was cool

[@basementcuts8884]

Ha! For a change I see a restoration of a product I do have. Entertainingly I still use it. One of my favorites. 90 year old razor on my 30 year old skin. Still works way better than the multibladed razors.

[@buheyesocuhfusedbruh8872]

What a pleasure to watch you work. Are these skills your pursued as a hobby, or picked up along the way at work? I have found a lot of hobbies from tinkering at work.

[@AcmeRestorations]

A real mix of hobby stuff and work stuff. I really enjoy learning new processes as well, so I always try to add something new to these videos that I haven't done before. Thanks for watching!

[@18i7aar85]

So amazing 🪒💈🧔🏼

[@petricabistricean1806]

super tare

[@GT_Racer347]

Sweet 👍🏻 👍🏻

[@kushgup3183]

A Feather razor deserves a Feather blade. Feather blades are legendary for being super sharp. I use a Feather Popular razor & Feather blades even today. BTW, Feather didn't make open comb razors.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Let's be clear, this is not a Feather Safety Razor Co. razor. This is a Japanese Safety Razor Co. "Feather" model; prior to renaming the company Feather Safety Razor Co. It's a direct copy of the 1930s Gillette open comb razor. They did make an open comb razor, before and after renaming the company. Not hard to find images of Feather open comb razors if you do a little Googling.

[@kushgup3183]

@@AcmeRestorations Interesting. That means that it was the precursor to today's Feather safety razor co, just as Probak was the precursor to Gillette. Weirdly enough, when Autostrop took over Gillette in the 1930’s, the new owner chose to retain the Gillette brand.

[@AcmeRestorations]

@@kushgup3183 Yes. This thing is PRE-Feather Safety Razor Co.

[@Christ-in-Damary-n-Dave]

It's a feather shaver, could've used a Feather razor blade. Merkur was a betrayal 😆

[@ambidaskadam4445]

Nice

[@RiDankulous]

Nice! I might buy one in the future, we'll see. I can't justify the cost of the disposables as much as in the past.

[@raywilson9450]

Very nice. I have a near identical razor made by Gillette in 1905 ish. (serial number on the inner barrel) Open comb. My favourite razor. Aggressive as hell. Flea Market find....$2. Thanks for the video.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Wow. That's one of the first models. This one is a pretty obvious copy of the Gillette; I thought it was a Gillette at first. Aggressive is right; I'm going back to the comfort of a straight razor :)

[@patriciafortesrigos2620]

Nossa que legal um barbeador de quase 100 anos

[@AcmeRestorations]

Obrigada!

[@mark6302]

god damn amazing

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks.

[@mulkanmulkan5620]

I have one of these razor...my father buy it in modern day... someone still sell this kind of razor..

[@andropovspringsteen7062]

Where did you find that vintage razor?

[@raziel3726]

Craftsman!!

[@barneykennett9282]

Nice...👍.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks 😊

[@Vault57]

You are committed to your craft, 6:01 Sacrifice made for science!

[@AcmeRestorations]

LOL. Totally clean shaven today.

[@Vault57]

@@AcmeRestorations I myself am on again and off again when it comes to my facial hair. My wife prefers my clean shaven face herself. I had a beard for a number of months, over six, when on a whim just shaved it off one day. An entire week went by with no word about it from my wife, “no biggie” I thought. The evening of a full week finally came and my wife and I were talking to some friends. My friend at one point looks at me and asked “Why did you shave your beard?”. My wife just turns around and stares at me finally asking “When did you shave!?” I told it had been a whole week since I had done that, she didn’t want to believe me. Goes to show how much the women pay attention to the men, if I hadn’t observed a new hair cut or clothing on her I would have been in for a bit of a cold shoulder, been there, done that! It’s ok, now I have money in my “Don’t go there” bank if she gets upset that I haven’t been paying attention!

[@Castleknight]

Wow, how did you learn to do that computer/CAD/milling stuff? Excellent!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Lots of little iterations.

[@pfadiva]

What CAD software are you using?

[@GilaMonster971]

I have a 1961 gold plate Gillette “Fatboy” that looks like brand new because it’s been restored and replated.

[@BennyCFD]

Great restoration. I've restored and still use a few three piece safety razors. However I suspect he didn't really make the open comb section. It was the original.

[@AcmeRestorations]

LOL. No. That's not the original. I really made a replacement.

[@RodricWeiland-Au]

How did you get the exact dimensions, curve and holes etc. Is there some kind of file you can download or scan? To me it seems that part would be quite complex. Would appreciate being more information on how that was done. Amazing work. Thank you

[@solstar4778]

I used to have one of those 😀

[@r.lalrammawiamawia3805]

I have this design razor made in England, that is My grandfather razor, I thought that is almost hundred years old

[@madcapmagician6018]

nice job😁👍 the only thing i would have done is to leave the brass as a contrast to the nickel, unless there is a specific reason to nickel plate the brass. 😁👍

[@AcmeRestorations]

Trying to get it back to original condition. Thought about gold plating for that reason, but seemed like a bit much :)

[@madcapmagician6018]

@@AcmeRestorations looks good 😁👍

[@luizalbertorodrigues4560]

Good jop congratulations very nice sensational

[@user-ql2wc5nu2q]

🤝 👍 отличная работа 👍👍👍💯🔥🇷🇺

[@Turkish4224]

Feather razor + a feather blade + that open comb style guard = be veery careful when shaving if you are not used to this kind of safety razor shaving

[@richielechon1724]

Aunque parezca que lo hizo bien, no es así. Desgastó mucho mucho el metal con su esmeriladora.

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

I have one of these, it was my fathers and was bought for him by his father to stop him using his razor, my father was born in 1925 so I'm guessing mine dates to 1936/37...!?, I still use it every now and then out of nostalgia.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Is it a Feather or a GIllette?

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

@@AcmeRestorations No actual marking on it but the handle is the exact same contour as the one in your video.

[@AcmeRestorations]

@@JohnSmith-ki2eq Probably an original Gillette. Don't get rid of that :)

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

@@AcmeRestorations That thing will be with me until the end, it's one of the few things I own that belonged to my father : )

[@iamheretocomment9821]

❤

[@AirPavel]

super :)

[@sdrc92126]

These are the best razors. I feel really stupid for ever using a disposable. 5 blades...what a scam.

[@Gamer-me4hx]

can i get this one?

[@michaelhayes7471]

I still use the same type just newer now there better than the modern razors close shave

[@ralfdonhill8175]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@mo20009mo]

I would recommend you lower the volume of the mic making sound more like asmr 👍🏻👍🏻

[@AcmeRestorations]

I've got it normalizes down to -15dB. People also complain that it's too quiet. So, if you'd like it quieter, just hit your volume down button a few times.

[@mo20009mo]

@@AcmeRestorations thanks. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Most wet shavers I know use Feather Blades on Merkur Safety Razors. You did the opposite.

[@pappurao7745]

Couldn't you find good and new blade?

[@AcmeRestorations]

That was a new Merkur blade.

[@MrPleers]

@@AcmeRestorations Merkur are not really good blades. I prefer Feather myself.

[@abeerfadl6484]

btw.i still use almost the same very kind of razor .

[@royalmachinetoolsajmer9137]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🤝🤝🤝

[@nathanbinns6345]

Feather is still a highly reputable brand of both razors and handles.

[@MrPleers]

Yes. And I use both. Feather As-D2 loaded with a Feather blade.

[@890mikes]

I learned to shave on this type of razor. 10 years old and cut to hell. Ah the memories............

[@pfadiva]

Now imagine using it on your legs and underarms. I used this type when I first started. Still have a scar or two.

[@AndreasHagelberg]

Really nice restoration, but I'll be honest, it was kind-of painful to watch you copy-pasting and positioning that block some 30 times when modelling the guard in Fusion 360. You really should take a look at the array-feature which would have made that part of the job much easier and quicker.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Array feature? Got it. Fusion 360 is an ongoing journey. Always new things to learn. Thanks for the tip!

[@billpotter7162]

I shave daily with an old type Gillette which this razor is a copy of.

[@azcactus2008]

I was expecting you to use a feather blade after all was said and done.

[@AcmeRestorations]

It occurred to me to use Feather blade; but not until after I'd posted the video ;)

[@azcactus2008]

@@AcmeRestorations Otherwise it was a very good video

[@jm15980]

I have the handle of that🙂👋🏻

[@karunakaranjoseph958]

Very nice and simple product but a necessity during the early part of the last century...than came the plastic use and throw.... but still can't get a close shave like from a single full razor contact....sad you had to shave your stubble just to show the product restored...😄....good restoration though

[@AcmeRestorations]

I grew the stubble for the video! :) You can tell it took me more than a few days! It was a pretty good beard by the time I got all that done. Thanks for watching.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Those deposits don't look right for a chrome-plates solid brass razor.

[@user-qg1fs7tr9k]

ه

[@user-qg1fs7tr9k]

زظاها

[@charlesbaldo]

This was only good because he shaved with it in the end.

[@sitiayugustina1341]

-sum-sum-

[@user-tf9we3vb1l]

It's just an old car👉

[@akoznasovajusername]

I didn't know brass can rust. I always thought it's water resistant. Maybe some chemicals made it rusty?

[@Scuba128]

Brass doesn't rust, but steel blades do. That rust was left over from a blade that had been left installed and wet for a long time.

[@alexwilson9940]

Took you wayyyy too many passes of the razor to get that result. Hurts just to watch.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yes, I have a very manly beard!

[@sergejschwab7100]

Ist die Mühe nicht Wert

[@kwl189]

Bruh. You restored a feather razor instead of a Gillette razor and used a Merkur blade in it to demonstrate the finished restoration(!). Wth.

[@AcmeRestorations]

I know bruh.

[@kwl189]

@@AcmeRestorations I can only imagine the shave with that if a feather blade was used!

[@18i7aar85]

So amazing 💈🪒

[@sitiayugustina1341]

-sum-sum-