I find using liquid castile soap on a toothbrush cleans razors very well.
Was checking out these last night, didn't even know these ultrasonic cleaners existed look really handy to have tbhI use one of those ultrasonic thingies + dawn + warm water .. I like it so much I do it every time it starts looking ugly and and it comes out new.
I think I got the Magnasonic MGUC500 on the recommendation of this forum come to think about it.
Thanks for the heads up about the ultrasonic cleaners on adjustables1. Ultrasonic cleaners are amazing, but can remove paint, like the numbers on the adjustment dial of a slim or fat boy.
2. Soaking in near boiling water with some dawn in it ... is good.
3. Working it with a toothbrush after doing no. 2 will get you most of the way.
4. Scrubbing bubbles is great, But be careful about two things: don't use the kind with bleach, and don't leave stuff soaking in it too long.
(Sent from mobile)
I find using liquid castile soap on a toothbrush cleans razors very well.
Hmm, do you think this would remove this smudge mark on nickel plating as well? I've tried dishwashing and alcohol and didn't seem to do much.My all brass vintage Gillette gets scrubbed with Bar Keepers Friend liquid using a toothbrush to remove the tarnish when I want it to look like brand new again (for a while!). Then is use a dab of Flitz on a microfiber towel to polish the top cap to a mirror finish. That’s it!
Hmm, do you think this would remove this smudge mark on nickel plating as well? I've tried dishwashing and alcohol and didn't seem to do much.
View attachment 1196749
Ultrasonic cleaners are amazing, but can remove paint, like the numbers on the adjustment dial of a slim or fat boy.
I use my ultrasonic cleaner on every razor I own every single time I use them. It has never removed any paint of any kind from anything. Ever! I dont believe it has that capability. The only way that would be possible is if the paint was already detached from the surface and was just laying there loose, like dirt.
looks like it did the trick mateKeep it simple is my #1 rule with cleaning. Normally an old toothbrush and a drop of dish soap is plenty. I have had a few vintage Gillettes with heavy staining and even polishing with Autosol didnt help them. A post war Tech below. Notice the scratches in the cap after scrubbing with a toothbrush and then lightly polishing with Autosol.
View attachment 1197235
To clean that cap I used Bar Keepers Friend. It is mildly abrasive but you dont use it to scrub with. The powdered BKF when mixed with water creates Oxalic acid. That acid is what does the cleaning. Below, after 5 seconds of rubbing the cap with my wet thumb and a bit of BKF.
View attachment 1197236
Cleaned. Not polished, cleaned, there is a difference. Always clean the razor before polishing it.
Techs are Nickel. BKF doesnt touch Nickel. It will however dissolve gold on contact.
My gold plated early 1940's Gillette Regent Tech after a thorough scrubbing with a toothbrush and dish soap.
View attachment 1197245
I learned a lesson after that. I knew BKF would clean it and knew it might remove the gold plating but I wasnt worried about it. What I didnt know what how quickly it would remove it.
I wet the razor, gave it a sprinkle of BKF and a light scrub with a toothbrush. In 5 seconds or less, this is what I had.
View attachment 1197248
That gold plating literally disappeared as I watched. It was there then it was gone. I was left with a perfectly clean razor that was now in dire need of polishing.
To polish that razor I first used Autosol and a toothbrush scrubbing and wiping off and scrubbing again until I had it close to where I wanted it. That gave me this.
View attachment 1197249
The doors had some fairly heavy scratches so I sanded them out with 600 wet sandpaper as best I could and polished the doors and comb more carefully on my buffing wheel with white jewelers rouge. That gave me this.
View attachment 1197250
I've since worked on it a bit more touching up here and there with a small felt wheel on my Dremel and done the edges of the doors and more on the safety bar.
Restoring vintage razors is a process. You need to start with a clean surface, inspect it and see what it needs then work on those areas. Sanding and polishing needs to be done very carefully. Its very easy to create waves in the doors, for example. When sanding you need to sand the entire surface evenly and be careful to follow the original contours and not mess up any corners or anything, which is very easy to do.
If its a vintage Gillette with a gold wash on it, that gold wash was originally protected by a varnish. You can see that varnish on a NIB Gillette NEW LC I had between the teeth of the comb and in the crevices of the handles ball end. The places where it pooled and cured.
View attachment 1197255
View attachment 1197256
Once that varnish has been removed, the very thin, very fragile gold wash will follow. Clean razors with that type of original finish very carefully, very gently and sparingly if you want to keep the finish.
When I was in the Navy we used Never Dull on brass but I never used it on anything else. Maybe chrome belt buckles? Such a long time ago.When I change blades I clean the razor with Never Dull polishing wads. Rub with a microfiber cloth. Sometimes I use MAAS Metal Polish. Once a year I polish them with a car paste wax.
One word of warning: for any threaded parts made of Zamac, it might be a good idea to lightly oil the threads occasionally to prevent or slow down corrosion.