First gold tech on ebay [sanitized and polished]

[pokkuhlag]

After my first shave with the Long Handle Classic open comb 5 days ago, I had some RAD and went ebaying for razors. My first ebay razor arrived at 9 dollars shipped. And it looked like this:



It wasn't exactly the "in good condition" that I expected. It had rust?, hard soaps stains and the it was more super dark red gold than gold. I've read somewhere that you shouldn't boil the gold razors, cause the lacquer would come off. This is a user and not a collector's item and in this condition I'm not going to touch it. So I boiled it, 15 minutes long, soaped it and scrubbed it. Some of the red lacquer flaked off and showing gold, wow much better than before. I had grabbed some polish and starts polishing. All was looking more shiny than ever and with the red flake all off.

And then I remembered it, YES IT. The bleach dip to kill off bacteria, virusses and other nasty stuff. The ratio I used was a little below 1:10 to be safe. Dipped it for 15 minutes long, thinking the lacquer is off anyway, what could possibly go wrong? How wrong I was, the bleach was starting to bite into the gold, giving me rust spots AGAIN. So I boiled it all over again with the handle to boil while I'm polishing the rest. The handles lacquer had a hard time coming off and the knurling surely isn't helping. Well after 3 long hours of boiling, cleaning, polishing, bleaching, boiling and polishing I got these results:




I can't wait to shave on Friday, cause I shaved today and shave only every other day. Cause my hairs grows to slow .

 

[GoTeeGuy]

Sounds like quite the adventure... I try not to buy gold razors for these very reasons. However, when one turns up with a 'mint' condition finish, I simply give it a quick cleaning with a soft toothbrush and liquid dish soap.

I like the simplicity of cleaning silver toned razors much better -- boil them for 1/2 hour to loosen the gunk, scrub with toothbrush and soap, polish, and buff to a shine. I've also got a brass DE which I've done the same with... it turned out great!

BTW, I've got two Tech's of my own; an early model and a later model. I love them both and would never give them up. They both provide good close shaves with little / no razor burn and even less nicks. I'm a real fan of these.

Enjoy!

 

[jduffy]

Hey Pok, I have a similar experience. I bought a Tech at an antique store for $10. The lacquer was already coming off in several places so I decided to help it along. I boiled it and it peeled off quite easily revealing a brighter gold color underneath. Looks fantastic and I know it's clean now.

I shave with this almost every other day. It's a great razor and leaves me with some fine shaves. Enjoy it. It's very different from the Merkur Long Classic. Does a great job gettng under my nose with no difficulty.

 

[letterk]

A 15 minute bleach soak is quite long. I try to keep it around 5 minutes.

 

[pokkuhlag]

Thanks the the advice, I'll remember it for the other razors that are coming from ebay.

 

[letterk]

Yeah, I've ended up ruining the handle on some one night when I forgot about the soak. I took them out after 10 minutes and the plating was completly stripped. Although, some razors managed to make it. So, the ones that were damaged most likely had a small imperfection that allowed the bleach to strip them. I've noticed that if you see bubbles, that means something is being eaten.

 

[sparky5693]

What about some spray lysol. The label says it kills everything (at least that I heard of). I used it on a gold aristocrat with no problems. Says to soak the surface and allow to air dry.

 

[Gatorade]

I posted this on another forum after being asked numerous times how I clean razors. I know yours is gold but the only steps I change are that I don't boil them, and I don't use polish. I do scrub them down then use a dip in 1:10 in bleach, rinse, then dip in alcohol. Emphasis on dip in the bleach! You don't need a 10 minute soaking. You just need a dip, rub lightly while rinsing, also alloe the alcohol to evaporate off. The reason many recommend not removing the lacquer is that the gold plating is very thin and with use the plating can wear away. If you are going to display it or are going to use it and don't care about the look then you can boil the lacquer off and yes you will have a stunningly bright and very gold razor. If you put it in a case and look at it then you will only need to dust it. If you use it then be prepared to see the gold wear away over time.

OK first if any are gold then don't do these cleaning steps. If any have any plastic or Bakelite then don't use these steps. These steps are for all metal nickel or brass only. Any razors you aren't sure about? Post a pic and ask.

OK for most razors this is what I do.

1. Clean with Scrubbing Bubbles or whatever foamy cleaning soap scum remover you have available. Use a tooth brush. Pay special attention to the joints where the pieces move such as the silo doors and where the stem goes in and out of the handle. If adjustable then make sure to pay special attention to the plate on the underside of the head. Debris can build up under there easily. I use cheap Q-tips to go through the plate from one side to another. I specifically use the cheap ones because the tip is smaller and will go all the way through unlike the real Q-tips which have a larger head. Give it a good scrub but don't obsess about it as you still have other steps to go through.

2. Boil it in water for 10 minutes. You can add a little vinegar to the boiling water and that will help to loosen some of the harder grunge. If you use vinegar then you may notice a brassy tint when you remove it from the water. Don't be alarmed as this will go away when you polish it. It is just a little more work when you polish because you really need to get in the cracks and crevices more. However it may be necessary if the grunge in particularly hard.

3. Remove from boiling water and cool it under cold water. Grab your Scrubbing Bubbles again and scrub again. This time work a little harder on it because you may be able to finish up the cleaning at this step.

4. Dry and polish. Any metal polish will work as long as it says nickel on the label. Many swear by Mass polish but I have never used it. I couldn't find it when I needed it and just got a bottle of regular metal polish at Ace, Novo may be the name of it. I don't have it in front of me right now. I use a clean rag and put the polish on the rag and the razor. Take your time at this step and make sure you have touched every surface on the razor with the polish. For the hard to reach spots once again break out the cheap Q-tips. This step may take the most time and labor but sometimes it is quick if the razor is in good shape.

5. After the polish step I give it another cleaning with the Scrubbing Bubbles. Some polishes are oil based and hard to get off. If you have excess polish on the razor and you shave with it it could cause anywhere from a mild burning to a serious chemical burn on your face. Make sure you get it all off with the Scrubbing Bubbles. Your razor will now be sparkling clean, sanitized and ready to shave. But you are still not done!

6. Lubrication. Sometimes the gunk or polish gets in the stem of the razor or the moving pieces just need a little lube. I take a small bowl. Open the silo doors and pour some mineral oil over the razor work the doors and the knobs and the adjustment knob as well till it feels smooth. Then submerse the razor in the mineral oil completely for a little while to make sure all the insides are lubed. Remove from the oil and wipe clean with a clean rag.

7. After the lube step you can place your piece in a glass showcase with spotlights and gaze at it for hours on end! Of you could shave with it!

8. You knew there would be another step didn't you! After using your razor for a while it will get soap scum on it. Usually when I change the blade I clean the razor with Scrubbing Bubbles and it looks as good as the final polish stage above. You could do it once a month as well and that will keep your razor sparkly clean.

OK that ends my cleaning procedure and maintenance cleaning as well. If you want to post some before and after pics pleas do as this will encourage more people to try ebay and do it themselves.

 

[mrob]

This reminds me of the time I was in grad school and wanted to remove the clear lacquer coat from my trumpet (I'd heard that the lacquer repressed the horn's sound a bit--not true as it turns out).

So I fill up the tub with hot water and plop the horn in the water to soak. (Oh, did I mention that I was renting a room in an old lady's house? )

I came back about an hour later and sure enough, the lacquer was gone from the trumpet! I drained the tub and quickly discovered where the lacquer had gone--it now formed a lovely ring around the rim of the bathtub.

It only took me about 2 hours of feverish scrubbing and sweating to eliminate the ring--and taught me never to remove a coat of lacquer from anything made of metal. The lacquer is usually there for a reason; to protect raw, unfinished metal from the elements.

BTW--the trumpet immediately began to tarnish, and is a dull reddish-brown to this day. Lesson learned.

 

[member 1211]

Whats a good polish to use on gold?

-Take

 

[pokkuhlag]

Some old stuff called brasso or silvo. But I wouldn't recommend polishing it after all. The front lost lots of gold.