DIY Refinishing / Replating old Gillette Razors

[Bad Badger]

I recently picked up a few old, user grade Gillette razors that have a decent amount of wear (brassing, flea bites, etc). I bought these cheap and mostly because I wanted to check out a few of the various old Gillette models to see what I like.

Question: Is there a cheap/easy way to make these more presentable? I have some Maas Polish and a toothbrush/microfiber rag, which seems to help shine them up and take off a little bit of the corrosion, but I'd like to explore what options are out there (short of sending the razors off to be replated).

For example, are there chemicals or ways (sanding?) to remove plating to get the razor down to its brass, then is there a way to coat or finish them? Or, is there a paint that can be applied? What things have folks had success with?

Thanks!

 

[romsitsa]

Hello,

if you have some tools, the plating can be stripped, scratches, pitting can be sanded out and the razor can be polished to a mirror finish.
If the razor is nickel plated, and there is a good amount of nickel left, I'd look for a plating shop and ask them to strip the razor. You have to disassemble it before stripping, the result will be a dull bare brass razor in pieces that you can polish up and reassemble.
Plating can be also done at home, but a proper setup and chemicals are not cheap and plating can be a hit or miss without experience, so finding a plater who is willing to fiddle around with small pieces is a better option.
As for paints, there are different paints that can be baked on, but I have no experience with them (I'm more into metal coatings).

Adam

 

[poikkeus]

Adam said it right. If you have experience and a certain know-how, re-replating a razor isn't hard, but are lots of potential variables. Is the Gillette razor partly Zamac? Will the corrosion on your razor make it difficult or impossible to plate effectively? Will the cost of DIY plating exceed the price of a having someone do it for you, or getting an upgrade?

Contact Back Roads Gold Razor Plating and ask a few questions. I recently sent them several razors, and they rhodium plated them for $60 each - a great price. (You can plate them with nickel or gold, for the same price.) If your razor is too far gone, they'll tell you.

 

[THall]

You may end up spending a lot more doing it yourself. I considered it once, did research and came to this conclusion quite quickly.

Besides the vendors you find here on B & B, you could find easily find a local gun Smith that does firearm refinishing. Most do both Gun Kote and Cerakote finishes. Most also would find razor work a piece of cake. Gun kote is slightly more durable but you’ll never wear out a safety razor done in Cerakote unless you’re tossing it on gravel surfaces. I almost went this route before Delta Echo and Chris Evatt fixed a couple of bad replates that no one wanted to touch.

 

[Bad Badger]

Thanks guys. Good advice and info for me to think about.