Cleaning an injector

[Scotto]

I got my eBay-purchased injector today, as chronicled here .

This being my first injector, I had to come up with a good way of cleaning it. I think I came up with a cute method. I wanted to be able to keep the razor slot open so it could get good and clean. I used a wooden skewer shoved in the razor as such:

.

The point of the skewer easily goes into the razor, then you can shove it in and break off the end so you can work with the razor easily.

After that, it is into a pit of boiling water:

Since the handle is plastic, I just brought the water to a boil and then took it off the heat. Then I let it sit for 15 minutes. No problem with the handle.

Next it was a trip to the sink, where I used a stiff toothbrush with some Barkeepers Friend cleanser:

Sorry about the poor picture here. This abrasive cleaner works really well. With the skewer keeping things propped open, I was really able to get inside the head and scrub it good.

After a good rinse, I decided to go for a bleach soak:

I kept it dilute (>10:1), but watching it carefully after a minute or so I noticed some discoloration forming. Fearing oxidation, I immediately took it out and rinsed it. Some more scrubbing cleaned it up, luckily. I'll have to figure out another method of sterilizing it.

Anyway, here is how it looks now:

Nice and clean!

Unfortunately, I have no injector blades other than the ancient ones that came with it. I am going to scour Target this weekend and see if I can drum something up.

Hope this helps others!

 

[Rik]

Greetings Scotto!
Your timing is impeccable! I just received my Injector. It’s in great condition except it contains an old blade that looks like it was used to remove a full beard! Didn't know where to begin until your informative post.

If you purchase many used razors, you may want to invest in Cidex Plus, which “offers a high level disinfection or sterilization for a wide range of materials and medical instruments”. My wife, a surgical nurse, brought this item to my attention. I use it for any acquisitions I don’t feel comfortable autoclaving. It can be ordered online or purchased at a local medical supply store.

Take care,

 

[gage0921]

Nice pics....................I have been wanting to try a injector.........let us know how it turns out.

 

[Scotto]

Made some progress today at Eckerds. The bottle is some sort of solution used for pre-operative skin cleansing. I soaked the clean injector for a while, loaded a blade, and I am ready to shave. We will see what tomorrow brings.

 

[blueasajewel]

Thanks for the guide - I was wondering how I was going to do this - now I know!

BTW hope you won't need the pre-operative skin cleansing post shave!

 

[Rik]

Very Creative Scotto!
I would offer up one word of caution. I didn't have any wooden skewers, so I grabbed some dowels from the shop. The slender one didn't quite open it up enough to my liking. So I grabbed the next size up, sharpened one end to a pointy perfection, inserted it, and BOING!!! Schick shrapnel!

I thought to myself 'Schick, I just ruined my over priced razor'. Not to worry, as the parts are held in place with a strap spring.

I disinfected it, cleaned it up, reassembled it and know am waiting for my blades to arrive. If anyone would like to see how the head of a Schick adjustable is assembled, please review the pictures below.

 

[gage0921]

RIK

How did get the black handle nice and clean.....mine is filthy and covered what i assume is soap scum. Even after boiling and toothbrush cleaning I cant get it back to black.

 

[Cliff]

Give the black handle a couple coats of Armorall. Should do the trick.

Cliff

 

[zacharydz]

I got a Schick Eversharp Injector awhile ago, but I ended up buying some maas metal polish for it. I thought that I got the worst razor burn from the next shave, but I think what actually happened was that a bit of the maas polish was rubbed off from the handle and then got on my face and really dried out my face. So I ended up wanting to give my razor a really thorough cleaning to make sure that I got everything off of it. When I was looking closely at it, I realized that the U shaped part rotates 360 degrees (I originally thought that it was just stamped into place). Well, if you pop the U shaped part enough to rotate it out, then the bottom part of the metal that encloses the blade will open up (but is still attached via the bottom to the rest of the razor) I know it's hard to describe, so I posted some pictures. But this allows for a much better cleaning than by jamming a skewer in it. Perhaps this was obvious to everyone, but it was an epiphany for me.

 

[PoshRichM]

Er, um, yes, a revelation to me too. Well done, Zachary!

-Rich

 

[SSLStudio]

Thanks all good stuff, My Golden 500 Injector arrived and it's dirty as hell,
I dont even know if the blades that came with it are save to use ...

and using 96% Alcohol has me afraid the handle will start to melt..since its plastic.. some good pointers here to look at....

Oh Silly me instead of Bleech I can use a Glass and Ozon it for 20 minutes ! Ozon kills germs and eeeeery Stuff !
Lucky I have 4 stone diffusers wouldnt wanna use the diffuser I use to ozon my drinking water for this kind of stuff!
Oef.....

For those not familiar with Ozon.

http://www.caringmedical.com/therapies/ozonetherapy.asp#do

 

[rnconync]

hmmm...well, I am brand new to all this, just started a month or so ago if that...Got a nice Gillette Aristocrat for my first DE. But a note on the injectors...I just picked up a few recently...and although scotto's way seems to be the best to clean it, I would advise againt using such large "Skewer" or other object to pry the two parts of the razor apart. I have noticed from trying this method it could possibly ruin your razor. I actually also went as far (purposely) as Rik did..and I definately think this is a bad idea to intentionally do...although it allowed me to clean the razor perfectly...

But here's is my reasoning why, I have heard a lot of comments on injectors not working to well if the blade isn't held firmly in place. The more you seperate the portion of the razor to clean it, the weaker the "holding power" will be and it will start to become loose. So a "skewer" is better than actually taking it apart...but will still weaken the "holding power" although it may not be much, each experience would vary...

When I did this to mine, and then actually did as rik did, after putting it back together...it became loose and sloppy and had very weak "holding power". It would not hold a blade in place very firmly anymore. Therfore, just about rendering the razor useless...That is because in order to seperate it far enough to clean well, or to take it apart...it ends up bending the metal pressure clip that keeps everything firm and in place...

But, when I went to put my razor back together...a little pice of the plastic broke off..and revealed the part that was actually causing the razor to loosen up...it was another little clip which held the pressure clip tightly which in turn held the razpr tightly together...

But from all of this, I did find a way to FIX my razor! I will try to show this by putting pictures up. But this could be a great fix for a razor found or purchased, (or possibly even passed up before, because it was loose) to get it back in tip top shape holding the blade firmly in place...it would require a slight bit of plastice being removed, but would produce a once again functional razor!

Man, that was long, I hope I didn't confuse the heck out of everyone (probably did) I wil ltry to get up pictures to clarify what I am talking about...

anyways, just my 2 cent's...there are plenty more people who know more aobut all this than I do, but jsut explaining my personal experience...

EDIT Just as I note, I did this with a type J injector...others may have a slightly different design...

 

[rnconync]

Here is the "fix" that I ended up doing...from the first image you can see there is a little break in the plastic..it was already a little like this when I bought it...but from stressing it too far so that the razor came apart...the piece almost fell off..

Well I removed the piece completely since it was almost ready to fall off anyways...and here's what I saw. At this point also, the rasor head was pretty loose and it could be jiggled and would not hold a blade worth a darn.

After seeing this, I thought...hmm...I bet if I bent that little piece of metal down holding the clip tight to the "frame" of the razor, It would tighten things up a bit. Well it worked great! My razor head is now nice and sturdy and holds the blade firmly in place again. The picture above is of the "fixed" razor...with the small tab tapped back down into place...it was bent out a little before this causing the clip to move around.

Well, I hope the pics and my explanation made it clear enough. I think I may get some good waterproof glue and glue that little piece back in place again and see how I make out. But for people who do not care what it looks like, they can just leave this piece off and now use their previously broken injector!

 

[GeeQue]

I would like to add something that has worked for me prior to the desinfecting the razors as mentioned above.
Before I begin desinfecting, I dip the entire razor in CLR. This product does an excellent job in removing years of mineral deposits and built up soap scum at the most microscopic level.
A good 10 minute soak should do the job. Most razors after this initial step look brand new...now I desinfect.


edit:
forgot to mention...CLR is available at most large department stores or Walgreens.

 

[THAW]

Use a toothpick on the handle to get all the old crud and shaving cream out of the grooves! Works brilliantly!! I'm cleaning up my Golden 500 and Pal Adjustable today. The Pal is a great looking razor and seems very heavy compared to the 500 w/ a plastic handle.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

You actually dug up a six year old thread to post in. That has got to be a record.

 

[shuasdad]

Google helps with this kind of thing.

You actually dug up a six year old thread to post in. That has got to be a record.

 

[santamariasteve]

I think we have entered the world of Overkill. If the purpose of cleaning the razor is cosmetic, and you're going to enter a contest for "the cleanest vintage razor," I can understand what your're saying and what you're doing.

But if you're cleaning the razor (that you have just bought) for the purpose of killing germs I think these extreme concerns and methods are totally unnecessary.

If you touch the restroom doorknob at a restaurant before siting down to eat a sandwich, do you use these extreme ways to clean your hands? I doubt it. Soap and warm water are all that is needed.[/SIZE]