Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

[sidpost]

I’m sorry to hear you got sick, but you pretty much nailed the ideas on the head. If you really want a mind trip, read up on the hypothesis of increased allergies and being dewormed. It’s hypothesized we miss our worms. But, I’m getting a bit off topic and I won’t push it any further.

Like you, getting a bit off-topic but; I was highly allergic to most pollen and most animals as a child. As an adult in control of my own healthcare, I did allergy shots for several years. I was so reactive and sensitive, it was a year before I could do my own self-injections. After ~7 years, the quality of my life improved drastically and I became an even more avid outdoors fanatic.

Today, I use antibiotics and anti-bacterial soaps very sparingly. I don't advocate intentionally exposing yourself to 'germs' but, I also don't advocate being a germaphobe either. A little bit along the way is generally good for us and that is how our ancestors survived to populate the Earth. Obviously, this doesn't include the really hazardous pathogens which do kill lots of people and those that devastate the body like my Campylobacter Jejuni exposure which I now have pretty good personal immunity to. That being said, I still cook my chicken thoroughly!

 

[Wombat ESQ]

Here is a top cap, you know what it is?

This one is brass, plated in tin/nickel alloy, the ugly patch in center is 2% silver solder, plating is stripped lengthwise then polished
one end then is dipped in hydrochloric acid [32%] for 4 minutes
the other end dipped in Ferric Chloride for 30 seconds

Nickel plating is unaffected in HCL, yet Ferric Chloride rips it up in 30 seconds, the nickel plate didnt take to the silver solder well at all, and the HCL didnt affect silver solder either.

Make/draw your own conclusions?? .. you drink vinegar, does it destroy plating? you sure as dont drink HCL, it wont rip up nickel after 4 minutes.
I have a Slim that is gold? or gold tone? or gold wash? or gold somethinged? it looked like camel snot for years, it got a dip in HCL, it now looks presentable ... i dont say do as i do, its your razor
Annnnnnnnnnd I did it myyyyyy wayyyyyyyy

Vinegar is an acid, did you neutralise it after? Autoclave? <<125C... brass melts at 925C, nickel melts at 1453C, water boils at 100C ..... yeah yeah people had failure? copper water pipes? water quality? chlorinated? did you boil eggs in it last night? who use what soap last on the razor.... 900 variables in the equation and metal can chemically interact

There are vague reactions happening, even in just boiling water from other impurities or even the fine brass wear from years of grinding brass on brass, after all brass is mainly copper with some zinc, so yes copper can drop out. copper will drop out onto steel by just dipping stell into the right solution of ''stuff''

I use Domestos [straight undiluted{bleach}] and Drain cleaner [undiluted] mixed as a first bath for a razor to get all the wombat snot off them, but use common sense, if you dont know your metals, like a blue tip is a freakin aloominum handle, yuck patooee!! if i use a strong base, neutralise it with a mild acid then neutralise that with another less strong base and vice versa. my go to is sodium carbonate or sometimes bicarbonate

I've got a piece of nickel rolling round the bottom of my plating tank, its not dissolved, yet? the solution is now nickel acetate that began life as vinegar

well i leave you with the rest of the top cap pix .....



OH EDIT : Zamak .... don't even think of even putting that 'stuff' in distilled water!!