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cleaning questions

i have just got several gillette razors that i bought off ebay. i was reading some of the posts about cleaning and i was wondering if anyone had use clr or any cleaners like that please let me know
thanks
 
i have just got several gillette razors that i bought off ebay. i was reading some of the posts about cleaning and i was wondering if anyone had use clr or any cleaners like that please let me know
thanks

I do use CLR on those I know can be cleaned no other way. I dilute it about 1 part CLR to 2 parts water, though I've done a direct soak. It can be a saver to quickly pop off little bits of rust in a baseplate, though it usually isn't needed (it is quicker though).

I used NOX on some old Superspeeds tonight and found the silver polish did a horrific number on the finishes. Can't be sure, but it may have ruined the whole batch I was working on (6 superspeeds).
 
For nickel-plated razors (Super Speed, Tech, Fat Boy, Slim) I've had best results with Simichrome polish. Others have had great results with MAAS, but I can't find it up here in the North Country.

All my razors start off with a Scrubbing Bubbles treatment . . . spray on, let it soak. Scrub with old toothbrush . . . lather, rinse, repeat!! Also - use the genuine stuff and not the generic "bubbing scrubbles" sold in the dollar stores!

Ultrasonic cleaner with a solution of very hot water and Dawn dish soap gets things squeaky clean and dissolves gunk and goo.

Harsh acidic tarnish removers and polishes shine old tarnished silver by dissolving the tarnish layer, but they are death to razor plating such as nickel. Even a silver-plated razor should never touch Tarn-X or other such chemical "killers" . . .

Wright's Silver Cream is the strongest thing that I use . . . and that is only on silver-plated razors that have already had the majority of the tarnish converted using the baking soda / aluminum foil method.

Gold-plated razors get nothing stronger than SB, soap, and hot water!!

Brasso is quite harsh, and contains a mild abrasive. It is great on brass belt buckles . . . used it a lot when I was in the Army!! Not good on razors . . . unless all the plating is gone and the underlying brass is the only thing showing. Using Brasso on a gold-plated razor will almost immediately remove "gold-plated" from the razor's description. (Trust me on that one!!)
 
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There are literally tons of useful posts on thsi site to mine for info on cleaning. And it's all subjective. I can tell you what I do.

1) Soak/clean in Dawn & hot water for a while, clean w/ toothbrush
2) Scrubbing Bubbles, spray, sit, then scrub down w/ toothbrush
[repeat 1 & 2 if nasty]
3) Either alcohol or, lately, Barbicide dip for 10-20 mins
4) polish - I use Maas

This isn't gospel. It's all about your comfort level. I imagine some people clean less but others likely clean more. Whatever makes you comfortable. Then shave away.
 
How much baking soda mixed in with the aluminum foil water bath?

BrianDiPalma did an outstanding job of documenting the process here.

I am not as precise . . . I mix four or five heaping teaspoons of BS into two cups of very hot water and pour it into a pickle jar with the foil on the bottom and the razor parts on top of the foil.

The brine solution is just a conductor. Excess soda just precipitates out of the solution as it cools. The major chemical reaction is between the tarnished silver (silver sulfate?) and the aluminum. Some hydrogen sulfide gas is produced as a by-product . . . smells like "rotten eggs" if you put your nose down to the pickle jar.
 
scrubbing bubbles for me... if it is real nasty, I will soak it in vinegar first for awhile and scrub with an old toothbrush...
 
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