I thought I'd post some before/after pictures of cleaned razors for the new guys.
Basically, any razor can be cleaned; the question is what will it look like after it's cleaned. Because of this, you don't want to pay too much for a razor that looks bad to begin with-especially if you know that it has brassing. In fact, knowing that it's brassed beforehand may keep it off the eligibility list. On the other hand, by cleaning a so-so razor you get the satisfaction of making a once-beautiful piece of art useful again and thus saving it from the garbage dump.
Cleaning a razor is easy. There are many ways to do it, but I use Scrubbing Bubbles, an old toothbrush, MAAS polish, an old t-shirt, and lots of Q-tips. And I do mean LOTS of Q-tips!!! If it's really dirty like those shown below, I wrap them in Saran Wrap after spraying them with Scrubbing Bubbles and put them out in the sun to bake for awhile. Also, be sure that you scrub in the knurling very well to get all of the gunk out. (Caution: using too much cleaner may cause the black paint to come off the brass ring on the upper part of the handle of at Fatboy.) After it's clean, then go to work with the MAAS. After that dip it in alcohol (the cheap stuff from the drug store) just to make sure it's sterilized.
Regarding the results, rust will always disappear because it's from the blade and not the razor itself. Brassing or spots may show up, but that's often hard to evaluate before you start so basically you need to just hope for the best. Sometimes you'll get a really excellent-looking razor from something that looked like junk to begin with- and sometimes not. But it's all in fun anyway.
So don't be scared about giving it a try! Just remember-the real satisfaction comes from cleaning a razor and not necessarily in the end result.
Before pictures:
View attachment 66990 View attachment 66991
After pictures:
View attachment 66992 View attachment 66993
Basically, any razor can be cleaned; the question is what will it look like after it's cleaned. Because of this, you don't want to pay too much for a razor that looks bad to begin with-especially if you know that it has brassing. In fact, knowing that it's brassed beforehand may keep it off the eligibility list. On the other hand, by cleaning a so-so razor you get the satisfaction of making a once-beautiful piece of art useful again and thus saving it from the garbage dump.
Cleaning a razor is easy. There are many ways to do it, but I use Scrubbing Bubbles, an old toothbrush, MAAS polish, an old t-shirt, and lots of Q-tips. And I do mean LOTS of Q-tips!!! If it's really dirty like those shown below, I wrap them in Saran Wrap after spraying them with Scrubbing Bubbles and put them out in the sun to bake for awhile. Also, be sure that you scrub in the knurling very well to get all of the gunk out. (Caution: using too much cleaner may cause the black paint to come off the brass ring on the upper part of the handle of at Fatboy.) After it's clean, then go to work with the MAAS. After that dip it in alcohol (the cheap stuff from the drug store) just to make sure it's sterilized.
Regarding the results, rust will always disappear because it's from the blade and not the razor itself. Brassing or spots may show up, but that's often hard to evaluate before you start so basically you need to just hope for the best. Sometimes you'll get a really excellent-looking razor from something that looked like junk to begin with- and sometimes not. But it's all in fun anyway.
So don't be scared about giving it a try! Just remember-the real satisfaction comes from cleaning a razor and not necessarily in the end result.
Before pictures:
View attachment 66990 View attachment 66991
After pictures:
View attachment 66992 View attachment 66993
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