Is this good cleaning practice for a Razor (for me as a buyer)

[Chainsaw]

I am thinking of buying a razor & asked the vendor how they cleaned up the razor. This is their reply (certainly appreciate their very detailed reply) -

The process we use: 1) Soak in "Scrubbing Bubbles" cleaner, 2) Wash with nylon brush; 3) Apply metal polish and wait 30 minutes; 4) Polish with buffer; 5) Clean again with "Crest Whitening Toothpaste"; 6) Buff again.

My concern here is has there been excessive buffing therefore plating life has been reduced?

Also does scrubbing bubbles remove lacquer from a Gillette Slim Adjustable?

 

[Mick]

I like to get mine "in the wild" with lots of gunk on them.

The plating on older razors is pretty impressive and it would take a LOT to burn through it. What they are describing is a pretty healthy "restoration" of the original finish. Look on the corners and sharp edges for any brass showing through the plating as this is where the buffing wheel is going to take it completely off if someone is a little heavy handed.

In the end you need to decide what you are after. Squeaky clean "shadow box" display razor or a nice old one you can use.

Scrubbing bubbles is pretty neutral when it comes to removing anything more than soap scum and gunk.

 

[Chainsaw]

I like to get mine "in the wild" with lots of gunk on them.

The plating on older razors is pretty impressive and it would take a LOT to burn through it. What they are describing is a pretty healthy "restoration" of the original finish. Look on the corners and sharp edges for any brass showing through the plating as this is where the buffing wheel is going to take it completely off if someone is a little heavy handed.

In the end you need to decide what you are after. Squeaky clean "shadow box" display razor or a nice old one you can use.

Scrubbing bubbles is pretty neutral when it comes to removing anything more than soap scum and gunk.

Thanks for the reply turtle. I'm tossing up at the moment regarding buying & Gillette Slim Adjustable because of their versatility. Feeling that acquisition bug even though have only just started DE Shaving.

 

[Mick]

Thanks for the reply turtle. I'm tossing up at the moment regarding buying & Gillette Slim Adjustable because of their versatility. Feeling that acquisition bug even though have only just started DE Shaving.

The slim is a nice razor. I've had a couple of them (none at the moment though).

There are a lot of razors out there to find and enjoy. Take your time. Enjoy the hunt and you will enjoy the shaves from those razors that you find yourself

 

[77TransAm]

Scrubbing bubbles is pretty harmless. I use it on my razors about once a week. The only thing I wouldn't do without caution is metal polish + buff. When I use metal polish, I buy a very gentle polish and polish by hand with a microfiber cloth. If you buff too hard you might take it right down to the brass. Metal polish is an abrasive so you have to be somewhat careful.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Beware of buffing too hard! I've loved some razors to death doing this. I agree with Turtle, I've gotten many adjustables and unique DE's in the wild that have come back to life with a good scrubbing bubbles cleanse.

 

[Chainsaw]

Beware of buffing too hard! I've loved some razors to death doing this. I agree with Turtle, I've gotten many adjustables and unique DE's in the wild that have come back to life with a good scrubbing bubbles cleanse.

Scrubbing bubbles is pretty harmless. I use it on my razors about once a week. The only thing I wouldn't do without caution is metal polish + buff. When I use metal polish, I buy a very gentle polish and polish by hand with a microfiber cloth. If you buff too hard you might take it right down to the brass. Metal polish is an abrasive so you have to be somewhat careful.

Krona Kruiser & 77TransAm, thanks for your input. It's nice to have confirmed that Scrubbing Bubbles appears to be pretty harmless.
The buffing side of things, well that does concern me a bit even though turtle thinks it is pretty robust on the vintage stuff. You guy's certainly give caution to the buffing aspect so a good reminder to me not to be too overly concerned regarding the appearance of older razor(s) blemishes.

 

[phillylion]

Krona Kruiser & 77TransAm, thanks for your input. It's nice to have confirmed that Scrubbing Bubbles appears to be pretty harmless.
The buffing side of things, well that does concern me a bit even though turtle thinks it is pretty robust on the vintage stuff. You guy's certainly give caution to the buffing aspect so a good reminder to me not to be too overly concerned regarding the appearance of older razor(s) blemishes.

Not so sure about Scrubbing Bubbles being harmless. This from Shave Wiki (scroll down to scrubbing bubbles notes):
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Safety_razor_maintenance