Cleaned my father' Fat Handle Tech, with triangle slots. It's usable, but to be honest, I wouldn't give $10 for a razor in this condition in the wild. This razor looks like it has been through a lot. Both ends of the cap look like they've seen some sort of impact, interesting since the blade sticks out slightly beyond it. There's some slight brassing on the ends of the cap, and at a small point on the bottom plate, where there was heavy corrosion. There are dents on the bottom of the handle, my first indication that it's hollow. One dent is a straight line. I really have to wonder what this razor has gone through over the years.
The knurling on the handle is still literally sharp, but there's heavy tarnish and brassing (strange combination there). The knurling has made polishing a challenge, and that, with the brassing, had me back off of it.
I cleaned it first by soaking in Scrubbing Bubbles (tm). I made a small pan out of aluminum foil, and it had an interesting reaction - the foil looked like it attracted some of the oxidation. That reminded me of the old aluminum leaves used to clean silverware, and after two more cleanings and soaks in Scrubbing Bubbles (tm), I made a fresh aluminum foil pan, boiled two cups of water, stirred in a tablespoon of baking soda, and poured it atop the razor in the pan. After waiting half an hour I removed it, but noticed no difference.
Last night I applied a silver cream and rubbed with a paper towel. This removed a lot of tarnish and shined up the cap a good bit. Not as shiny as the bottom side of the cap, but it looks halfway descent now. The handle knurling did a number on the paper towel, and, due to brassing, I didn't do much buffing. Did end up using an old soft toothbrush to try to get into the knurling, but it doesn't seem to have done much good.
Gave it a good wash in water and hand soap and put in a blade. There is a surprising gap, but nothing looks bent. Will wait until the weekend to shave, but it's going to be in competition with my father's Gillette Slim.
The knurling on the handle is still literally sharp, but there's heavy tarnish and brassing (strange combination there). The knurling has made polishing a challenge, and that, with the brassing, had me back off of it.
I cleaned it first by soaking in Scrubbing Bubbles (tm). I made a small pan out of aluminum foil, and it had an interesting reaction - the foil looked like it attracted some of the oxidation. That reminded me of the old aluminum leaves used to clean silverware, and after two more cleanings and soaks in Scrubbing Bubbles (tm), I made a fresh aluminum foil pan, boiled two cups of water, stirred in a tablespoon of baking soda, and poured it atop the razor in the pan. After waiting half an hour I removed it, but noticed no difference.
Last night I applied a silver cream and rubbed with a paper towel. This removed a lot of tarnish and shined up the cap a good bit. Not as shiny as the bottom side of the cap, but it looks halfway descent now. The handle knurling did a number on the paper towel, and, due to brassing, I didn't do much buffing. Did end up using an old soft toothbrush to try to get into the knurling, but it doesn't seem to have done much good.
Gave it a good wash in water and hand soap and put in a blade. There is a surprising gap, but nothing looks bent. Will wait until the weekend to shave, but it's going to be in competition with my father's Gillette Slim.
