Lazy way to detarnish razors?

[Teppanyaki]

I remember this from chemistry class, but I haven't tried this in years. Now that I have some vintage razors on order, I'm wondering how well this will work. Details - http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/tarnish.html

My recollection - tarnish is largely due to sulfur-containing atmospheric gases reacting with metals to create tarnish (silver + sulfur -> silver sulfide). If you polish the tarnish, what you are doing in reality is removing the tarnish, which removes the metal that has reacted. The above way reverses the oxidation (? think it's oxidation, not reduction. Been a long while) and you end up with aluminum sulfide instead of aluminum foil, which you them pitch as dirty foil. That way the metal that has reacted turns back into the base metal and doesn't get removed.

I may try this in a minute with my Gillette New, but using warm water rather than hot.

I hope this works, as I love the idea of having chemistry do my work for me.

 

[Hinano_Paul]

Love to hear if this works.

 

[JazzyJ]

It definitely works! I haven't done it myself, but it is a commonly suggested cleaning technique on these forums. Be sure to post some before/after pics!

 

[Nadir M]

Be sure to post some before/after pics!

+1

 

[Teppanyaki]

Before and after around 30-60 minutes. In person, the tarnishing was reduced but still a significant amount. Was hoping for more dramatic results - will be leaving it in overnight.

 

[Shutterbug57]

Why not Tabasco sauce? Try it on a dirty penny.

 

[BC1]

Ketchup works too!

 

[Icarium]

i've cleaned silver coins [not worthy of grading] with aluminum pie/tart tins, baking soda and hot water
got all the tarnish off 70 year old dollars but does not leave them shiny, just clean down to the silver with no loss from abrasives
by hot i mean simmering, tiny bubbles on a burner
the heat helps the reaction time in a big way

 

[ateace]

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Before and after around 30-60 minutes. In person, the tarnishing was reduced but still a significant amount. Was hoping for more dramatic results - will be leaving it in overnight.

The treatment you linked to is for silver plating and removes sulfur from the object you are cleaning up.
This won't work on anything that is not plated with silver.

For razors that have been stripped down to copper and brass, the Tabasco sauce trick might work better.

 

[mpmartinez99]

Like others have said give Tabasco a shot. The acids work great to clean brass/copper and other metals. A1 steak sauce is also works wonders for the same use.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Hm - my understanding is that as long as the metal that has oxidized is more stable in the pure state than aluminum, then the reaction thermodynamically favors the silver or other metal going back to pure and the sulfide plating out on the foil.

Heat clearly helps from a time standpoint, but I didn't want to use boiling or nearly boiling water as I have read that this can damage a razor. I don't know about ones without plating, though.

If Tabasco works, what about vinegar? I'd think there would be less residue.

Trying 1 more soak in a new pan with aluminum foil/baking soda/salt. The greenish corrosion from the before pic is clearly gone, but the black stuff is only partially gone. Frankly, I was hoping for complete reversal and a nice shiny razor - oh well.

The other option I can think of would be to artificially force the reaction to go towards replating the metal by hooking a battery up to the foil and the razor parts. I haven't seen this done, though.

 

[77TransAm]

Hm - my understanding is that as long as the metal that has oxidized is more stable in the pure state than aluminum, then the reaction thermodynamically favors the silver or other metal going back to pure and the sulfide plating out on the foil.

Heat clearly helps from a time standpoint, but I didn't want to use boiling or nearly boiling water as I have read that this can damage a razor. I don't know about ones without plating, though.

If Tabasco works, what about vinegar? I'd think there would be less residue.

Trying 1 more soak in a new pan with aluminum foil/baking soda/salt. The greenish corrosion from the before pic is clearly gone, but the black stuff is only partially gone. Frankly, I was hoping for complete reversal and a nice shiny razor - oh well.

The other option I can think of would be to artificially force the reaction to go towards replating the metal by hooking a battery up to the foil and the razor parts. I haven't seen this done, though.

Vinegar is very acidic and if you leave it on long enough, will start eating your plating right off! Especially if you use heat. Also, this tin foil baking soda only works with silver as another member mentioned. Any other razors I use scrubbing bubbles to clean off the gunk then scrub it with a toothbrush. Then I use whitening toothpaste and scrub it again with a toothbrush. Then finally I polish it with a metal polish to make it shine like new.

 

[Teppanyaki]

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OK, the summarized version - before, after 1 hr in foil pan, after overnight in foil pan, after 5 min vinegar soak and scrub. Somehow they are out of order; the nicest one is after vinegar. Didn't know about vinegar and plating, but since it has no plating I figure that isn't much of an issue. I tried that as vinegar is the main ingredient in Tabasco. Besides cayenne . . .

Will try the Scrubbing Bubbles trick next.

 

[77TransAm]

View attachment 361717View attachment 361720View attachment 361718View attachment 361719
OK, the summarized version - before, after 1 hr in foil pan, after overnight in foil pan, after 5 min vinegar soak and scrub. Somehow they are out of order; the nicest one is after vinegar. Didn't know about vinegar and plating, but since it has no plating I figure that isn't much of an issue. I tried that as vinegar is the main ingredient in Tabasco. Besides cayenne . . .

Will try the Scrubbing Bubbles trick next.

Just noticed that it's not gold, but brass I'd just take a buffing wheel to it, or a dremel with a buffing attachment on it. It'll shine like a new penny. Even metal polish by hand with a microfibre cloth will make make it look just as nice, just takes a little more elbow grease. Good luck!