Cleaning a Gillette New Long Comb

[spacemonkey42]

I believe this is a long comb Gillette New, made in Canada. I got it for cheap on ebay and am cleaning it up. It didn't have almost any plating left, so I want to take it down to brass, then I'll polish that a bit. Not much, I don't want a terribly high maintenance finish.

How do I get the laquer/plating/whatever out of the grooves of the ball-end? I'd love your advice, thank you!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Get some Flitz polish and an old t-shirt. A little elbow grease will be required, but it will shine up like a new penny.

 

[lasta]

Same way you brush your teeth!

Toothbrush + toothpaste will get er done.

Substitute BKF or metal polish if you want a deeper clean.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Thanks @Hannah's Dad! I have Simchrome, is that similar enough or do I need some grit to it?

Thanks @lasta! I did already scrub it with BKF and a toothbrush, maybe I just need to go at it with more vigor? Or a pastier Bar Keeper's Friend?

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Thanks @Hannah's Dad! I have Simchrome, is that similar enough or do I need some grit to it?

Thanks @lasta! I did already scrub it with BKF and a toothbrush, maybe I just need to go at it with more vigor? Or a pastier Bar Keeper's Friend?

Hmm … I am not familiar with Simchrome. If it’s a metal polish, it should be fine. Have fun with it! The best part of getting a cheap vintage is shining it up like new.

 

[lasta]

Thanks @Hannah's Dad! I have Simchrome, is that similar enough or do I need some grit to it?

Thanks @lasta! I did already scrub it with BKF and a toothbrush, maybe I just need to go at it with more vigor? Or a pastier Bar Keeper's Friend?

Hmm, maybe give it a few minutes for the BKF to work its magic?

Or as others suggested, go to town with the polish paste!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

This is what a little polish can do … (my Gillette Goodwill) …

 

[gpjoe]

I've found (during my exploits in re-plating) that it is very difficult to get the lacquer out of all the little nooks and crannies. I have figured out ways of removing the lacquer, but not without buying Dremel thingies to do it.

If it's just going to be a bare-metal user, I've gotten good results with a Cape Cod polishing cloth. I imagine you could do the same (or better) with an old t-shirt and some polishing compound like Flitz or Simichrome. Who cares about between the teeth, as long as it's clean? I don't.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone, I'm using them!

@lasta pointing me to toothpaste gave me a related idea - dental floss! I'm now alternating toothpaste and BKF onto the ball-end grooves and using dental floss to work it. I'm making progress, yay!

 

[DesertIguana]

Same way you brush your teeth!

Toothbrush + toothpaste will get er done.

DITTO.

 

[spacemonkey42]

It is looking much better already! I'll do some more polishing later, but I'll shave with it tomorrow. It will be fun to compare to the new-to-me short comb.

 

[nemo]

Agressive polishing will ruin the gold wash.
So will Bar Keepers Friend.

I don't mind a little of the darker lacquer in the ball tip, it adds a character that has been with the razor close to 100 years. I always leave it alone although I am the self-appointed chief of the Gillette Preservation Society.

Does it really matter? Gillette put it there for a purpose and the previous owners left it there for you to admire.

 

[spacemonkey42]

There wasn't any gold wash to begin with, except for in that groove. So it looks better without it.

On the preservation side, I'm thrilled that there are no cracks in the handle and all the teeth are very straight. It is in great shape!

Is there anything special about Canadian New razors? Are they more rare or interesting?