Cleaning a Micromatic Open Comb

[jtface]

Hi guys,
Here is a picture of my new (to me) GEM MMOC.
As you can see, there are some watermarks on the head. Is there a way to clean these off without killing the finish? I have already soaked in washing up liquid and hot water, scrubbed with toothbrush and lightly buffed with toothpaste.
Thanks!

 

[Twelvefret]

You have a great razor there, brother. I am afraid anything I would suggest might take off the finish. Using 0000 steel wool might remove some of the mark. Rubbing compound with a bit of grit might work. I've use chrome polish before.

I have a tread called Micromatic Monday on the SE forums in which all GEM users are invited to join. Please accept my invitation to use your new razor tomorrow if you want.

 

[rabidus]

I can't tell if it's gold plated or just brass. If it just brass, you can polish it.

 

[Dave Deluxe]

Gold finishes on all razors damage easily. With GEMs prior to the "Bullet Tip" the gold plate was done improperly for longevity. For whatever reason, at the factory they applied the gold directly over the brass. Gold doesn't stick to brass very well. So starting with the "Bullet Tip" they applied a nickle coating over the brass and then applied the gold which made the gold finish much more durable.

 

[Twelvefret]

Gold finishes on all razors damage easily. With GEMs prior to the "Bullet Tip" the gold plate was done improperly for longevity. For whatever reason, at the factory they applied the gold directly over the brass. Gold doesn't stick to brass very well. So starting with the "Bullet Tip" they applied a nickle coating over the brass and then applied the gold which made the gold finish much more durable.

Wow, how did you discover GEM manufacturing processes?

 

[Dave Deluxe]

There is a board that is dedicated to nothing but SE's, with GEM occupying quite a bit of info. You know how "hobbyist" really like to get in the weeds with their interests. Every little detail, even the ones that don't matter that much.

 

[RayR]

Gold finishes on all razors damage easily. With GEMs prior to the "Bullet Tip" the gold plate was done improperly for longevity. For whatever reason, at the factory they applied the gold directly over the brass. Gold doesn't stick to brass very well. So starting with the "Bullet Tip" they applied a nickle coating over the brass and then applied the gold which made the gold finish much more durable.

I've had a number of MMOC's and Clog Proofs that I polished up that were not the chrome plated versions. If there was any gold plating anywhere it was so microscopically thin that it washed off with the soap and water decades ago. For all intents and purposes they are just unplated brass, but that's fine with me because brass can be polished up to a high shine beautifully without worrying about plating wear. If you take a polish like MAAS and rub it into a real intact gold plating, the white polish won't turn black, if the polish turns black then it's brass you're polishing.
There are some GEM Juniors that were gold plated, it's a very thin gold plating over nickel plate and its easily recognised as gold because gold doesn't tarnish. I've seen some of the old ads for Micromatic open combs that said they were gold plated, but has anyone actually seen one with gold plating intact?

 

[jmudrick]

Sure, they're around. Head here is mostly intact. Handle mostly not.

I've had a number of MMOC's and Clog Proofs that I polished up that were not the chrome plated versions. If there was any gold plating anywhere it was so microscopically thin that it washed off with the soap and water decades ago. For all intents and purposes they are just unplated brass, but that's fine with me because brass can be polished up to a high shine beautifully without worrying about plating wear. If you take a polish like MAAS and rub it into a real intact gold plating, the white polish won't turn black, if the polish turns black then it's brass you're polishing.
There are some GEM Juniors that were gold plated, it's a very thin gold plating over nickel plate and its easily recognised as gold because gold doesn't tarnish. I've seen some of the old ads for Micromatic open combs that said they were gold plated, but has anyone actually seen one with gold plating intact?

 

[santamariasteve]

Brother JT,

I think what you got is what you got. These razors are roughly 70 years old. Perfection of finish is not a realistic experience, unless you're very lucky. How many 70 year old faces look "perfect" in the mirror? Just sayin'.

Enjoy what you got. The high quality of the shave, not the pristine quality of the finish of a 70 years old razor, is what most of us seek, hope, and expect.

 

[RayR]

Sure, they're around. Head here is mostly intact. Handle mostly not.

OK, I can see by the color of the cap that it looks like there's still some gold. It's weird that ASR would plate the brass first with nickel on gold plated GEM Juniors which is the right way but not do that on the MMOC's or MMCP's. Of course Gillette did the same thing sometimes so who knows?

This one is all brass, it was all tarnished when I got it so no gold in sight. The blade bank did have a thin gold wash.

 

[weekly]

OK, I can see by the color of the cap that it looks like there's still some gold. It's weird that ASR would plate the brass first with nickel on gold plated GEM Juniors which is the right way but not do that on the MMOC's or MMCP's. Of course Gillette did the same thing sometimes so who knows?

This one is all brass, it was all tarnished when I got it so no gold in sight. The blade bank did have a thin gold wash. View attachment 913000

You done a real nice job on the polishing.
I have an all brass clog pruf and love to
Get a polishing result like you have , what
Is the best polish to use ? And I should
Point out that I would have to use some
Sort of hand polishing method since I don't Have access to power polishing
Tools. Any advice is well appreciated
Thanks..

 

[RayR]

Thanks weekly, but I wouldn't know how to polish metals without modern tools.
I don't know how craftsman metal workers did things by hand in the olden days to produce a perfectly smooth finish with a mirror shine but it must have took a hell of a lot of labor.
I do use MAAS metal polish by hand but that's a final step, a metal polish won't remove little defects in the metal if that's what you've got.
Since most vintage razors have been used and abused, there are typically scratches, oxidation and stuff. To remove those from an non-plated brass razor and restore the finish to a high shine I use a variable speed Dremel type tool, wool buffing wheels of different types with various polishing compounds for the buffing wheels.

 

[weekly]

@RayR
Thanks anyway.

 

[jtface]

So I had a go at polishing it this morning...
1. I used a soft cotton cloth with 'The Pink Stuff'.
2. Washed it in hot water and 'Fairy Liquid' with an old toothbrush.
3. Repeat.
4. Used 'Meguiar's Ultimate Compound' to polish out any marks from the abrasive.
5. Oiled all of the moving parts with a mineral oil from my old beard trimmer.

I'm pretty pleased with the result: