PAAS Wife ?
Cleaning DE razors
- Thread starter AACJ
- Start date
I decided to do another clean on some lovely old Fatboys I had aquired. They were cleaned and set by the vendor but i just wanted to give them a quick ultrasonic clean.
1) A few drops of 'Dawn' dishwashing liquid in a 650 ml 40khz ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Added VERY hot water (but short of boiling)
2) 10-12 mins duration.
3) Rinse and dry.
I have to say...they came up looking really nice. these were described as good to very good condition as sold but the ultrasonic cleaner found some more dirt because they look really bright now...awesome
One caveat though - seems 50 year old paint is fair game for this method of cleaning as well. The paint on the numbering was shaken loose along with all the other hidden filth. Not that I mind at all, these things look great! BUT if you want to protect frail old paint on a highly collectable example, you may want to skip this method and go with gentler hand methods.
1) A few drops of 'Dawn' dishwashing liquid in a 650 ml 40khz ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Added VERY hot water (but short of boiling)
2) 10-12 mins duration.
3) Rinse and dry.
I have to say...they came up looking really nice. these were described as good to very good condition as sold but the ultrasonic cleaner found some more dirt because they look really bright now...awesome
One caveat though - seems 50 year old paint is fair game for this method of cleaning as well. The paint on the numbering was shaken loose along with all the other hidden filth. Not that I mind at all, these things look great! BUT if you want to protect frail old paint on a highly collectable example, you may want to skip this method and go with gentler hand methods.
I work for an architectural coatings manufacturer and would like to comment on some of the harsh solvents and chemicals some may be using to clean up their razors. Strong solvents such as acetone and laquer thinner are going to destroy any coatings on the metal. Continual use of WD-40 actually pits metal. We have seen this while trouble shooting problems out in the field. Just as with my shaves, I prefer to take my time and preserve my precious tools and pretty face.
I clean the razor I'm using every time I change the blade approximately every three days with a denture brush and handwash. The denture brush is a Wisdom and has a curved brush on one side and a small brush on the other side handy for getting into those nooks and crannies and the handwash is Carex which is claimed to kill most germs and viruses on contact. Would probably work with older razors too
I put a Z 4 Gillette Tech in a scrubbing bubbles soak for about 20 minutes. It cleaned it up but the plating came off on the spots that had some black tarnish on them. It doesn't look terrible but I was surprised that the scrubbing bubbles pulled the tarnish and plating off. Beware!
I was wondering has anyone ever use this product to remove rust, gluck and scum etc from their razor? Would this product remove the black numberings on my razor? This Autosol product says it is safe and good for all metals.
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scrubbing bubbles is an incredibly powerful cleaner and I've never left it on a razor longer then 30 to 60 secs (I never let if sit on my shower stall for more then 5 minutes!), but pulling the nickel plating off of your Tech I'm not so sure off. I'm thinking that the plating was probably already/mostly gone under the spots that weren't shiny. Pull off gold or silver plating? Maybe. Paint on flare tips and numbers on adjustables? I won't let chemicals get near them.
Like we've preached here for so long, a long soak in warm soapy water will get you 100% to shiny and clean for all but the most gunked up razors. We can never go wrong with a long soak in soapy water.
-jim
Yes, the plating had been corroded already, there was no hope for those spots. If I could do it all over again, I would have probably kept after them with hot soapy water.
Just happened to see this "sticky" and by chance I had just cleaned 2 of my razors. I used a very stiff nylon brush, originally purchased for cleaning guns. This was done dry, without any soap,solvent or other chemicals. Maybe not the end all for some but good enough for me. Both these razors had an accumulation of 2 years gunk. I had taken the razors to the shop to touch up some chipped edges on the comb. I've been having this problem with both my Merkur razors.
John
W.TN
John
W.TN
I clean about once every month or two, after shaving 2/3 of the mornings. I get a lot of buildup but Bar Keepers Friend soft cleanser is nearly magical. the soft cleanser is a very liquidy gel, not the powder that the regular one is. It's also meant for steel so I really don't think it's doing longterm damage and feel comfortable using it on my razors. I just rub some on, brush it lightly with an old toothbrush, and it looks like new.
Here are before and after shots of my Muhle. This was probably 20-30 seconds brushing per piece.
Here are before and after shots of my Muhle. This was probably 20-30 seconds brushing per piece.
I recently decided to clean my plastic Feather up. Only suitable thing I had laying around was urnex for cleaning espresso machines, so I put a spoon in a cup with warm water and let it soak for an hour. Took everything right off! Espresso machines have brass, copper, chrome, steel, rubber, and plastic, so I figured it wouldn't harm a razor.
i just did a cleaning of my Gillette travel tech using zenith solutions i use when cleaning watch parts... my other big hobby. this is not really economical perhaps, but i had some that had been used for some time on watch movements which i was going to have to replace anyway.
here are the before pictures. (just with my phone)
it is a two step process, i put the parts in a jar of the cleaning solution and put that in the sonic bath for 5 minutes.
then i transfer them to a rinse solution and put it in the bath for another 5 minutes.
when done, i just remove the parts and let them dry. that was all i did and all of the parts came out shiny and clean.
here are the after shots
here are the before pictures. (just with my phone)
it is a two step process, i put the parts in a jar of the cleaning solution and put that in the sonic bath for 5 minutes.
then i transfer them to a rinse solution and put it in the bath for another 5 minutes.
when done, i just remove the parts and let them dry. that was all i did and all of the parts came out shiny and clean.
here are the after shots
I have a fatboy that I have cleaned to the best of my ability. Done the near boiling water soak, several times, each time changing between scrubbing bubbles, dawn dish soap, and clean water. I fear it is still gunky as it lacks the final 1/4 turn. But due to a rather bad bit of RAD funds are low and I can't send it in for a professional revamp. I also don't want to completely disassemble the razor myself, the reassembly terrifies me (setting the gap correctly in particular).
I know I've read somewhere to completely soak the razor in mineral oil. (Apologies now for not wanting to read all 16 pages of this thread) Has this actually worked for anyone? What about CLR, would that work better?
Thanks all for any help in advance
I know I've read somewhere to completely soak the razor in mineral oil. (Apologies now for not wanting to read all 16 pages of this thread) Has this actually worked for anyone? What about CLR, would that work better?
Thanks all for any help in advance
CLR will probably harm the plating - it's pretty powerful stuff. I've had a razor that the adjuster knob wouldn't turn all of the way. I let it soak for days. Gradually I managed to get the knob to turn all of the way.
-jim
-jim
Thank. I've been kinda working it with mineral oil and hot water. Got some movement. But my new problem is: at 9 it has a 1/4 turn but when I get to 3 it's reduced down to 1/8 (maybe) turn. Is this normal?
Thank. I've been kinda working it with mineral oil and hot water. Got some movement. But my new problem is: at 9 it has a 1/4 turn but when I get to 3 it's reduced down to 1/8 (maybe) turn. Is this normal?
Over on the wiki, Safety_razor_maintenance has a table of cleaning products with notes about their suitability.
Vinegar is an acid, and can damage or remove plating. However as with many cleaning agents the dose makes the poison. You might get away with using a little, but avoid high concentrations, prolonged exposure, or high temperature. If you want to ruin the finish, try a nice long boil in vinegar.
Hey.. Has anyone used a dremel to clean or polish their razor?
