Shave of the Day Thread - 2023

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Soap: PAA Gondolier
Brush: Italian Boar
Razor: Smart Helix Apollo
Blade: Dorco Prime (2)
I've had maybe a dozen shaves with this razor now. Fairly early on I had concerns about the threaded post coming out of the top cap. I tried epoxy gluing the threaded post into the top cap knowing that would make Plan B more difficult but Plan B wasn't that attractive. Maybe I got half a dozen shaves with the glued post before a tightening of the handle post blade install dragged the threaded post out of the cap.:oops: OK, so initiate Plan B, silver soldering the post into the cap, only problem is the expoxy glue had to be cleaned out of the threads. I knew there was a risk of destroying the cap but what did I have to lose? I had some 50% silver solder on hand so I fluxed it up, set it up,....... then ballsed it up :). It could have gone worse....... I used a general flame thinking if I used a pinpoint flame there would be higher risk of warping the top cap if I didn't get even heat distribution, the problem being the solder travelled further than I would have liked.
Good news is I effectively soldered the threaded post in. Bad news....... I had to spend an hour on the dremmel cutting back excess solder so the bottom plate would engage. I achieved cleaning up the top cap and post enough so the bottom plate engages properly and the post accepts a blade, but it's ugly, but thankfully 99% of the ugliness is under the top cap. The top of the cap is burnished and one edge suffered a small amount of flux corrosion which presents as a short black stain. I buffed the top cap which made the top of the cap presentable but the underside is a mess.
I gave the razor a run this morning and there is no loss of functionality, so I'm happy. Yes, warranty options were explored, that's another story.......
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I don't know that I love this razor enough to buy another top cap, especially when I've retained full functionality of this one.
sorry to see that I wasn't the only person to see the post come apart as luckly it still screws so useable but won't stay. I thought about using locktite but just left it as it functions and they did send me a replacement under warranty but that was well before 2022. i recall they said they used a special tool to assemble the posts and I eventually moved on the replacemnt head/razor keeping the damaged head that gets occassional use.
 
sorry to see that I wasn't the only person to see the post come apart as luckly it still screws so useable but won't stay. I thought about using locktite but just left it as it functions and they did send me a replacement under warranty but that was well before 2022. i recall they said they used a special tool to assemble the posts and I eventually moved on the replacemnt head/razor keeping the damaged head that gets occassional use.
Hey @Razor Burn , all the best for the new year!
The thread on my post was dodgy (not a clean cut thread from new I'd guess) so I knew I'd have to do something. Thought about loctite but thought I'd give a two part epoxy designed for metal a go. I'm wondering whether loctite would've been better. Anyway......I don't think the solder will let go :)
 
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