Did I do something wrong? -- Cleaning.

[Mr. Dude]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post, but I've been lurking for a while. I finally decided to get myself a DE, and wanted to clean it well before first use so I followed the instructions on the wiki.

When I got done I noticed scratches across the head, and it seemed there were more pitting marks than before. Is it possible my use of a soft tooth brush could have caused the scratches, or increased the pitting, or is it just that now that the razor is clean, these things stand out.

Functionally, the razor is great, and I can't wait to try it. Just wanted to know if I did something wrong.

Also, am I supposed to keep polishing until the polish doesn't turn black anymore? Do I run the risk of polishing off the plating? I'm using the yellow metalwax polishing gel which according to metalwax contains no abrasive.

Thanks!

--Mr. Dude (Brett)

Before:

After:

 

[Sluggo]

I do not think your toothbrush could have done that. Sometimes, depending how dirty the razor was to start with, they just clean up like that.

I have never used the metal polish you mention, I use Flitz.

 

[luvmysuper]

Did it look better or worse than the pictures you posted before you started?
If worse, then you just happened to get a pretty pitted razor, but it shouldn't affect how it shaves.
If better, what parts exactly from the wiki did you do?

 

[Ferengi]

The black stuff on your polishing cloth is oxidation and will always be present no matter how long you polish your razor. All polishes that I am familiar with (Flitz, Wright's, and Metalglo) are a bit abrasive so just polish till you are satisfied with the result. Be aware that some types of plating, such as gold tone, are protected by a lacquer type of finish and you do not want to remove that by over polishing. On silver or gold tone razors use something mild like Wright's Silver Polish. Be sure to sterilize your razor in something like Barbicide before you polish it the first time.

 

[dreadpirate]

I think the finish is pitted. You can polish it to the point where it's not so rough looking, but I think the finish is pretty much comprised. Should still be a good shaver. You could get it replated.

 

[Mr. Dude]

luvmysuper:
I guess it looked a bit better. It seemed to have more plating on it, and I didn't noticed the horizontal scratches as much. Though, looking at the pictures, it really is hard to tell the difference between before and after.

Ferengi:
Thanks for the tip about the polish. I stopped polishing it after a while, I didn't think I could get it any shinier. I sterilized the shaver in hydrocide. I didn't see any mention of how long it needed to stay in there. Is that a quick dunk, or a longer soak?

dreadpirate:
Yep, that's the conclusion I've come to. Luckily all I need is a shaver, and not a show piece. I am doing a how-to video, and it would have been nice to take a rather disgusting looking piece, and clean it up. But at least, hopefully those who watch will get a general idea of what to do.

Thanks again for all the suggestions / comments and help.

 

[Sailorman]

Just FYI, I also use Metalwax and it certainly does contain abrasives. It didn't do that scratching on your razor though. I have a bottle of Metalwax where the abrasive has separated from the gel and it appears as a large white mass. Sometimes I can get a dollop of almost 100% of this abrasive and it has the texture of extremely fine sand. Your bottle must be much more thoroughly mixed than mine was. Even using mostly the abrasive component, it wouldn't do what your pics show.
The other poster is correct about the black stuff never ending. It will subside drastically however. I usually use at least 2 applications, sometimes as many as 5, depending on the condition of the razor to start with. Do you use the metal cleaner also? That reduces the number of applications you'll need for any given job by a lot. As expensive as Metalwax is, that's something to consider.

As an aside, I discovered that a light polish with Meguiar's liquid cleaner/wax works pretty well on gold razors without doing anything to the lacquer or the unprotected areas of the gold fnish. I risked a nice blade box to test this theory. Note I said "light" polish. I haven't tried it with any real pressure, but it doesn't seem to scratch at all when used judiciously and does a pretty good cleaning job. YMMV. It also does a decent job with polystyrene cases.

 

[Ferengi]

Mr. Dude, ten minutes in Barbicide is sufficient to kill all the bugs on your shaver including HIV.