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Cleaning silver open comb razors; Diamonds in the rough

Hello,

I wanted to share a cleanup process for silver razors that went well. None of these ideas are my own; I have the Brothers and Sisters at BOTOC and elsewhere here at B&B to thank for their generous guidance.

I bought a New Standard ($65) which was mechanically sound, but heavily tarnished.
$razor%20(4).jpg

I also bought two Tuckaways in shabby shape ($34 for both). One was in good shape cosmetically, but missing a tooth and the box. The other had a comb piece in good shape, but the handle was cracked badly and brassed, and the box was pitted and black with tarnish. When they came in the post I was kind of kicking myself! Here is the box from the second of the two:
$$(KGrHqJ,!r!E-ZUiTK-hBP45(Gej9g~~60_12.jpg

I cleaned all in hot soapy water, scrubbed away surface grime with toothbrush. Then soaked in scrubbing bubbles and scrubbed again. Then disinfected with Barbicide 5-10 minute soak.

Then I did the baking soda and aluminum foil baths 3 times. Boy does THAT ever work great.
(see http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ingle-Ring-Cleaning-(Picture-Heavy)?highlight= and http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ck-Photo-Tutorial-for-Restoring-Silver-Razors for details and photos).


Then polished with Maas and soft toothbrush. I polished the caps with Maas and newspaper, that helped remove surface scratches quite well.

The results? Baby these are some great looking antiques. I plan on using them, not just for display!
$IMG_0071.jpg
$IMG_0069.jpg

Again, thanks to all the knowledgeable and helpful people here! You guys are the best!

Cheers!
 

Intrigued

Bigfoot & Bagel aficionado.
Looks great! Nice job on the clean up. :thumbup:

It's fun to watch those badly tarnished silver plates come back to life isn't it?
 
Those look great! Half the fun is bringing these old razors back to life. The other half is using them to shave with.
 
It's fun to watch those badly tarnished silver plates come back to life isn't it?

It was either you or April (on the BOTOC thread), I think, who said (paraphrasing) that they get excited when they see a black razor (because others will under-value it, and because they know that lovely silver lies beneath)!
Cheers!
 

Intrigued

Bigfoot & Bagel aficionado.
It was either you or April (on the BOTOC thread), I think, who said (paraphrasing) that they get excited when they see a black razor (because others will under-value it, and because they know that lovely silver lies beneath)!
Cheers!

If it was in the BOTOC thread it was probably April. Usually if I'm buying for my collection, I shoot for fairly minty pieces. But once in a while I buy one with something else in mind. Here is one that I bought for about $5 or $6 dollars last year because I felt sorry for it and as project to see just how well I could restore it.

Pity Purchase:

Before
$Floral Case & Razor Silver (before) 1.jpg $Floral Case & Razor Silver (before) 2.jpg





After
$Floral Silver (restored) 3.jpg $Floral Silver (restored) 2.jpg

$Floral Silver (restored) 4.jpg

It was a lot of fun and satisfying to bring it back to life. Who knows, maybe some day I'll try and do a full restore on the case.
 
Very nice rescue job! You will probably find the New Standard making its way to the top of your favorite razor list . . . IMHO Gillette's best open-comb design!
 
Very nicely done! The only change in process I would suggest is to skip the Barbicide until after you have removed the tarnish and are preparing to use.
 
Very nice rescue job! You will probably find the New Standard making its way to the top of your favorite razor list . . . IMHO Gillette's best open-comb design!

I have heard praise before, hence the purchase. Some like it better than the New!

I find it is a little less forgiving than my long-comb New. With the New Standard, I have to be very conscious to keep a shallow angle, and use a light touch. My first few shaves (other than some minor nicks which I might get with any DE), the ATG pass can leave my right cheek and neck feeling "scraped" (minor burn, easily quenched with balm). BUT the New Standard is WAY efficient. I shaved yesterday around 1 pm and did not have enough whiskers at 7am today to shave before work. Wow!

...and yes, the looks alone ensure it a place in the rotation!

Cheers!
 
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