Taking apart the B&R Adjustable
First a quick note on yesterday's B&R Adjustable v. Merkur 45 shave:
I was unable to detect any difference whatsoever. I'm can't say when the stubble appeared first, because I was asleep when it happened. In the morning, both sides of my face feel exactly the same. That is of course a very good result for the B&R.
This morning I took apart the B&R Adjustable to see it's inner workings and I took some pictures:
First the razor in its assembled state:
First I unscrewed the handle. No surprises here...
Here a picture with the top cap taken off. You can see the screw that holds the spring in place in the bottom plate:
The screw is easily removed with a flathead screwdriver. Be careful to hold the baseplate firmly, so the spring doesn't shoot across the room. You're left with all the parts of the razor:
A similar image showing the unpolished underside of the bit that is pushed upwards by the spring:
The screw attaches to that part. Here is what went wrong when I first had the razor: If the screw is screwed in too far it sticks out and interferes with the blade:
Here a picture with the spring in place and the screw not protruding at the top. That's how it should be...
The same assembly with the base plate in place as well and the screw protruding. If you r razor looks like this, you'll have a problem... Turn the screw anticlockwise until it is flush.
Here's a diagram showing how the parts work together. When you turn the handle (red) it pulls down the top cap (orange) and with it the screw (blue) and attached to it the blade platform (yellow). The spring (black) sits between the base plate (green) and the blade platform (yellow) and pushes the blade platform against the top cap. The screw (blue) in its top position is held in place by a narrowing in the base plate and this stops the whole assembly from falling apart. This is my take on how this razor works and I may be mistaken.
Maybe Hasan can confirm or correct me ...