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Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

Leisureguy said:
I've used vinegar water to descale stuff. Works quite well...

Could you please specify the exact proportion of water to vinegar and how long you were soaking the razor.
All those things make a difference.
 
I change the proportion depending on how calcified the thing is. I had a ball-joint showerhead that was totally frozen by calcification, and I soaked it in pure vinegar for quite a while. It did come free. Vinegar is not all that acid, so it's unlikely to do damage (IMHO) if you are just soaking for an hour or so. Try half vinegar and half water and see how that works. I use white vinegar, but I doubt that it makes much difference---though I would hesitate to use balsamic or any of the sweetened rice vinegars...
 
I tried the baking soda, salt, and aluminum foil method, but I didn't like the outcome all that much. I think I prefer 4 parts water to 1 part white vinegar, boil for 10 minutes, then rinse. The mildly acidic solution will indeed remove any calcification and so far has left the razors shiny bright.
 
rtaylor61 said:
Also,

Don't soak them in bleach. A 10% bleach solution is okay, straight bleach will eat the finish.

Randy

You should never ever use bleach to clean anything steel, any homebrewer knows this!

Star-San is a steel safe sanitizer however which is commonly used in the brewing industry and kills all sorts of nasties, I believe it can be purchased from any homebrew store or from http://www.homebrewadventures.com/shopping/index.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=homebrew&Product_Code=STAR-08

you mix it with water so for cleaning razors that should last a LONG time.
 
gzb10 said:
Here in Canada we've got a household cleaner called "CLR" it's used for descaling kettles, humidifiers etc. Have any of you folks used this as the first stage in cleaning an old DE razor? Thanks.

gzb10

Hey, another Canadian... cool.

I haven't started restoring razors yet (but I anticipate getting a couple that once belonged to my grandfthers over the next couple of months), but I think that I would only hesitate to use CLR if it was a gold razor or if it was in near perfect condition and I was planning on keeping it as a "show-razor", not a to-be-used- razor. Otherwise, why not give it a go (just make sure that you rinse it well before you use it else you may end up with some CLR getting in/on/under your skin and I doubt that would be much fun).
 
Well I just cleaned my first vintage razor a 1960 Fatboy from here at B&B (beautiful razor - looks brand new and never used). I used the autoclave at work because, well, I just can you never know whose parts it was on previously. This was followed by a nice scrubby brush and liquid lab soap and then some Maas and a soft cloth polish. The only thing I have not done is a mineral oil soak, and I may get around to that. It cleaned up excellently - bright and shiny and all of this did nothing the the paint in the numbers or the red marker indicator. I will shave with it maybe over the weekend or next week.

Dennis
 
Jeez, I've tried to clean up 2 old Gillettes via the bay and didn't get em very shiny at all. I used everything you did--except for the autoclave! We don't have one of them over at the School of Music!
 
The dishwasher works... I picked up a Gillette last week. Put in the top rack opened up. Hit the sanitize button and tada... looks brand new.
 
mrob said:
Jeez, I've tried to clean up 2 old Gillettes via the bay and didn't get em very shiny at all. I used everything you did--except for the autoclave! We don't have one of them over at the School of Music!

Ben's trusty Maas didn't do it for you? It seems to work really well for me. The autoclave does get up to some serious temperature and pressure so maybe that helped loosen up the grime.

Dennis
 
Mike02 said:
Well I just cleaned my first vintage razor a 1960 Fatboy from here at B&B (beautiful razor - looks brand new and never used). I used the autoclave at work because, well, I just can you never know whose parts it was on previously. This was followed by a nice scrubby brush and liquid lab soap and then some Maas and a soft cloth polish. The only thing I have not done is a mineral oil soak, and I may get around to that. It cleaned up excellently - bright and shiny and all of this did nothing the the paint in the numbers or the red marker indicator. I will shave with it maybe over the weekend or next week.
Dennis

What does mineral oil soak do exactly and how long should I keep my razor in Johnson's baby oil? One of my Ebay razors was very tight, I had to use pliers to turn the handle and open the silo but after a couple of hours in the oil it is much better. Thanks for the tip.
 
Hey Gents,

Just a little heads-up for you. I had some old Gillette's I got on eBay and at Goodwill. I boiled them with water and some vinegar the other day to clean them up. Unfortunately, one of the old razors was a 1930ish gold Gillette (not Aristocrat), and when I was finished, some of the gold color came off and reattached to the silver gillettes, giving them a nice rosey color.

If you are cleaning up older gold Gillettes, make sure you clean them separately.
 
Holyhabanero said:
Hey Gents,

Just a little heads-up for you. I had some old Gillette's I got on eBay and at Goodwill. I boiled them with water and some vinegar the other day to clean them up. Unfortunately, one of the old razors was a 1930ish gold Gillette (not Aristocrat), and when I was finished, some of the gold color came off and reattached to the silver gillettes, giving them a nice rosey color.

If you are cleaning up older gold Gillettes, make sure you clean them separately.

Better yet, clean it in such a way as not to remove the nice gold color in the first place.
 
The gold color was coming off on my Gillette Tech even before I disinfected it. It's now coming off all over. I think I'm going to take a cleaning pad to it and get rid of all of it. I don't mind if it doesn't look like the original as it was already peeling to begin with.
 
What is the step-by-step cleaning method for gold razors? I did boil a couple of gold Gillette adjustables and did no harm to them that I can see, but now I'm feeling uneasy. Anyone have a complete cleaning routine for gold-plated razors?
 
Get this - in a 50/50 white vinegar/water solution, I boiled a '58 adjustable. it came out great but has a slight copper tint now. upon closer inspection, it looks like the ring just under the adjuster dial might be copper. i wonder if this is where the copper tint came from? at any rate, it looks really cool with the tint. I was not able to capture the tint with my camera, otherwise i'd a posted the pic.

i'm no chemistry star, does this make sense to anyone else?
 
I have an early Tech razor that, after boiling, gave off the same appearence. It's even more noticable around the threads where the head screws onto the base. I don't suppose that this would have something to do with the plating process that was used?
 
FOR STERILIZATION: I have bought some items on eBay and went and invested about $3.99 in Hydrox Hydrocide at one of the barber/beauty supply houses. Barbicide was twice as much for the same 16 oz. I compared the two and they are virtually the same.

They both are effective against HIV-1 (AIDS virus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella cholerausus, and Stapholococcus aureus. The mix is 4oz/gal for about 10 min.

I work in surgery and we autoclave stuff all of the time. Unless you really know what you are doing and are used to working with hazardous chemicals, I would stay away from Cidex. Don't get me wrong. IT WORKS but, I think there are other things that will do the same without the cost or hazards, and then you have to be able to properly dispose of the stuff as well. We now use Steris equipment more than Cidex. I honestly can't remember the last time I used Cidex. Steris is a bleach based cold sterilization technique.

Why don't I simply use alcohol? I can't give you a technical reason but, I know we don't STERILIZE surgical instruments for use with patients with it so logic would suggest that it is lacking in some way.

I use Simple Green with a toothbrush to clean them before I dunk them in the Hydrocide.

Just my .02 worth.
 
If you have a razor (NOT gold plated) that just won't pick up a shine, and you don't have a Dremel, pick up a can of Brasso. Dilute it 50/50 with water and LIGHTLY work the razor. I've done this with well over a dozen with great results. I don't always get a "brand new" look, but it makes a difference.

Remember, you do this at your own risk!

Randy
 
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