How to strip lacquer off of a vintage razor?

[cernel_joson]

Is there a good way to remove lacquer from an old razor without resorting to chemicals not ordinarily found at home?

I'd polish it off, but the lacquer is stuck deep in knurling on the handle.

 

[Jim]

Acetone works great on lacquer, you could try nail polish remover also.

 

[cernel_joson]

Thanks, I didn't even think of nail polish remover!

 

[cooncatbob]

Oven cleaner is what I use on NEW heads.

 

[Brownbear]

Oven cleaner is what I use on NEW heads.

I second Bob's advice. I tried acetone, soaking for days, I tried lacquer thinner, I soaked the damn thing in carby cleaner for two weeks, nothing would get the coating out from between the teeth, that stuff is tough.

Oven cleaner did it, but I had to heat a little.

 

[RichGem]

Acetone works great on lacquer, you could try nail polish remover also.

Essentially the same thing, nail polish remover is just diluted acetone with moisturizers thrown in. (sorry, had to prove my chem minor was good for something).

I think others have mentioned that Scrubbing Bubbles works also.

 

[luvmysuper]

Oven Cleaner.
I've got a display cabinet full of shiny gold razors that used to look horrible to prove it.

 

[john parker]

I'm not sure what age "vintage" is, but seems to me that somewhere in the wiki someone said that gold "plating" ( and hence lacquer) didn't start until around 1948 and that prior to that razors were gold "filed". My 1946ish gold Aristocrat looks really nice and does not appear to have lacquer on it.

 

[cernel_joson]

My 1930s two piece NEW has thick lacquer on it. On a whim I decided to strip a Diplomat too. The lacquer had turned a deep orange (which is not entirely displeasing to the eye).

HOLY COW. Though no longer protected from wear, the gold looks incredible now. This razor has made me a convert to a gold razor lover.

 

[yakster]

I'm about to attempt to clean of the small, discolored bits of lacquer off the '46-50 gold plate Tech my Mom sent me and doing research on methods. Looks like oven cleaner's in the lead with acetone, cider vinegar, and ammonia also mentioned. Not sure if I'm going to try and re-apply a layer of lacquer after I clean it up, still haven't decided.

The reason I'm posting today, though, is to mention that it's getting harder to find nail polish remover that actually contains acetone anymore, so read the label and don't assume. I use nail polish remover with acetone for cleanup, works great for removing sharpie from plastic, but didn't do anything for the super glue I spilled on my desk.

 

[xraygun]

Oven Cleaner.
I've got a display cabinet full of shiny gold razors that used to look horrible to prove it.

Regular ol' Easy Off?

 

[KM-instructor]

Your wife's nail polish remover should do it

 

[luvmysuper]

Regular ol' Easy Off?

Yes. I put it in a glass dish, spray it down liberally with Easy Off, let it sit there for a few minutes and rinse it off.
Use rubber gloves.

I say the following, because there is ALWAYS that guy that hears that hot water is good for cleaning, and that vinegar is good for cleaning, so he boils his razor in vinegar for 30 minutes and wonders what went wrong;

Don't overdo it, there's no need. If it hasn't been removed in a few minutes soak, try another separate application. Better to do more than 1 application than to overkill and let something sit there for extended periods in a caustic solution.

If that doen't remove it, it isn't laquer and it ain't coming off that way.

 

[Alraz]

Brush cleaner contains: acetone, methanol, dichloromethane and xylene (often toluene). It is a pretty strong mixture and it is not as corrosive as other products.

Al raz.

 

[xraygun]

Thanks Phil,
I'm going to give it a try on an uncased Milord I picked up for 10 bucks that has the flaky orange scabs.

 

[bhatcher]

ok so on a gold valet auto strope easy off gonna make it looka good? or woud that be another bone head move by a rookie?

 

[luvmysuper]

I don't know anything about the Auto Strops, whether they were laquer coated or not, or anything about their manufacture.
Easy Off won't have any adverse effect on gold.
I do know that if there are gaps in gold plating, the caustic could have an adverse effect on the brass underneath if left exposed long enough.
I'm not recommending Easy Off as a cleaning method for razors. I'm just saying from experience that on gold razors, it does a fabulous job of removing laquer.
Everything in moderation, don't over do it.
Better to waste a can of Easy Off in short exposures than risk screwing up a nice vintage piece you find because you decided to let it soak for an extended period.

 

[cooncatbob]

The harden orange coating that Gillette used is petrified and beyond removal with solvents like acetone, even oven cleaner doesn't remove all the orange between the teeth of opened razor heads like NEW, that's when I break out the Dremel with a wire wheel.

 

[xraygun]

Well, Regular Easy Off doesn't do much of anything. I swapped it out for
Heavy Duty Easy Off (with Lye) and IT takes it all off even on the knurling on the handle.

Probably the regular is some new hippie formula.

This thing is clean as a whistle now and I'm going to try a very light MAAS unless someone chimes in and advises against it. Then go for re-lacquering it.

I picked up a can of Deft which appears to be Nitrocelulose. That should be thin enough.

 

[dpm802]

My 1930s two piece NEW has thick lacquer on it. On a whim I decided to strip a Diplomat too. The lacquer had turned a deep orange (which is not entirely displeasing to the eye).

HOLY COW. Though no longer protected from wear, the gold looks incredible now. This razor has made me a convert to a gold razor lover.

could you post some pics, please?