Looks great!Been a while since I've plated anything, and yesterday I received a razor from a member here. In our PMs I explained that I am not Back Roads Gold level of quality, and would do my best. He gave me the green light to refinish his Made-in-England Flat Bottom Tech.
Gulp.
Last thing I want to do is f-up a razor that ain't mine.
Well, here's what I did:
The handle was missing most of the factory nickel, so I just buffed it on the wheel, mainly to clean and smooth it.
The base plate was very good. I gave the top a light sanding with 2500 and 3000 grit paper, then buffed.
The cap was brassing so I sanded it with a progression of grits finishing with 3000, then buffed.
Plating and final polish went well, and while it isn't perfect it's a razor that I would be happy to use. Hopefully he feels the same.
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My "Ah-Ha!" Moments
- Thread starter gpjoe
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #142
- Thread starter
- #144
Thank you.
I had watched some youtoob videos on copper plating and in order to create the plating solution copper sulfate must be added to the water (rather than vinegar with nickel). I saw a video in which a guy successfully used Root Kill as his source for the crystals.
Not sure of the exact "science" involved, but apparently the copper sulfate creates the proper medium for the creation of the plating solution.
I don't know...but it works...and i was able to buy a bottle, along with a 2-foot piece of copper pipe at my local Home Depot.
Short answer:
I saw it on youtoob, it works, and it was easy to find locally.
- Thread starter
- #146
I started with a phone charger, and quickly moved on to a cheap power supply from Amazon. The phone charger below is rated at 5v and 550ma which is just over half an amp.
If you go back in this thread (I had to
), you you will notice that I used this to create my copper plating solution and then copper plate a brass bullet case.It worked fine for copper, and is used by many on youtoob for nickel as well, though my inner Tim Taylor was screaming "more power!" and I succumbed to the temptation of buying though not strictly needing a bench top power supply.
Here's the thing, and this is what makes Chris at Back Roads Gold the master:
There is no strict recipe regarding voltage, amperage, or time. It's more of a feel, or trial and error.
Having said that I can offer two suggestions:
1) 5v and 1-1.5a are good (safe) starting points. Better to go too slow than too fast, which leads to:
2) You CAN go too fast, or try to by cranking up the voltage and amperage, but you run the risk of getting a bad finish which may be as minor as a light fogging of the plating, or worse, lumps or even spikes of plating deposited on your finished piece.
So, slow and steady wins the day, at least to start. Of course there is no reason you cannot incrementally increase the current and check your results.
If I were better at this, I would keep a log. Unfortunately I have not, and continue to "wing it" with results that have exceeded my expectations.
- Thread starter
- #148
The clips are not strictly required. You could twist the charger wires directly into the donor nickel stock and the piece you want to plate, and it would likely work. Certainly there may be a loss of efficiency, but electrons and nickel molecules will still move.
Just be careful, and...
Good luck.
- Thread starter
- #149
So, I've never participated in any of the "restraint" threads, and have question:
Doesn't it only apply to shaving tools and goods?
I'm sure it would allow you to acquire the equipment and/or supplies required to re-plate...say...paperclips...right?
My "Ah-Ha!" Moments
When I catch my dad or my brother, coming out of my downstairs shave den, with a big smile.
With there hands loaded....
They still have to get pass my wife.... head of security , ceo, coo, cfo - ministry of finances, hr & so much more....
BFX
- Thread starter
- #152
Ok, well, I admire your commitment and integrity.
I would probably rationalize it by calling it my seperate re-plating hobby and only re-plate my dog's tag and wife's earrings until the fast was over.
Kudos to you.
- Thread starter
- #153
So, I've been looking for a SE razor that utilizes half DE blades. It's been a bit of an adventure, and so far I've been unable to find "the one".
Today I was thinking "I love my Gillette Techs...I wonder if a Tech would securely clamp a half-blade?"
Well, I grabbed a Tech, loosened the head, slipped a half-blade in and snugged the handle...and the blade was locked in. I was afraid that a full blade was partially secured by the radius of the cap, and a half-blade would fall right out, so I was happily surprised.
Now, my plan is to modify a Tech by essentially removing half the baseplate and half the top cap, to create a true half-blade Tech. If you've been reading any of my prior posts here, I'm confident that if I can remove the excess material using various tools (Dremel, hand files, sandpaper) without destroying the razor, I CAN polish it up and plate it..
My only problem is that I've either sold or PIFed away potential candidates for the transformation. My current stable, though greater in number than anyone would ever need in three lifetimes, consists of NOS (or near) and razors that I've already re-plated...so, I need a new "lab rat" to experiment on. The victim:
...a $7 all-brass travel Tech (not here yet).
The plan is to hack it down to an SE razor, clean, polish, and replate. I'm planning to use one of my stainless steel handles with my creation...assuming all goes well during surgery.
Stay tuned, this might be good for a few laughs.
Today I was thinking "I love my Gillette Techs...I wonder if a Tech would securely clamp a half-blade?"
Well, I grabbed a Tech, loosened the head, slipped a half-blade in and snugged the handle...and the blade was locked in. I was afraid that a full blade was partially secured by the radius of the cap, and a half-blade would fall right out, so I was happily surprised.
Now, my plan is to modify a Tech by essentially removing half the baseplate and half the top cap, to create a true half-blade Tech. If you've been reading any of my prior posts here, I'm confident that if I can remove the excess material using various tools (Dremel, hand files, sandpaper) without destroying the razor, I CAN polish it up and plate it..
My only problem is that I've either sold or PIFed away potential candidates for the transformation. My current stable, though greater in number than anyone would ever need in three lifetimes, consists of NOS (or near) and razors that I've already re-plated...so, I need a new "lab rat" to experiment on. The victim:
...a $7 all-brass travel Tech (not here yet).
The plan is to hack it down to an SE razor, clean, polish, and replate. I'm planning to use one of my stainless steel handles with my creation...assuming all goes well during surgery.
Stay tuned, this might be good for a few laughs.
- Thread starter
- #155
Happy to help, if I can. PM me, any time.
Are you interfering with nature again @gpjoe?So, I've been looking for a SE razor that utilizes half DE blades. It's been a bit of an adventure, and so far I've been unable to find "the one".
Today I was thinking "I love my Gillette Techs...I wonder if a Tech would securely clamp a half-blade?"
Well, I grabbed a Tech, loosened the head, slipped a half-blade in and snugged the handle...and the blade was locked in. I was afraid that a full blade was partially secured by the radius of the cap, and a half-blade would fall right out, so I was happily surprised.
Now, my plan is to modify a Tech by essentially removing half the baseplate and half the top cap, to create a true half-blade Tech. If you've been reading any of my prior posts here, I'm confident that if I can remove the excess material using various tools (Dremel, hand files, sandpaper) without destroying the razor, I CAN polish it up and plate it..
My only problem is that I've either sold or PIFed away potential candidates for the transformation. My current stable, though greater in number than anyone would ever need in three lifetimes, consists of NOS (or near) and razors that I've already re-plated...so, I need a new "lab rat" to experiment on. The victim:
View attachment 1786269View attachment 1786270
...a $7 all-brass travel Tech (not here yet).
The plan is to hack it down to an SE razor, clean, polish, and replate. I'm planning to use one of my stainless steel handles with my creation...assuming all goes well during surgery.
Stay tuned, this might be good for a few laughs.
Shocking stuff.
- Thread starter
- #157
- Thread starter
- #158
So, my travel Tech arrived...and I didn't have the heart to destroy it.
The handle is impractically tiny, which leads me to a "short" rant:
Is the standard length ball-end handle really so long as to be a travel hardship? Seriously, I'm thinking that other than the novelty, I would rather suffer the extra weight and sacrifice the extra baggage space than suffer through a shave with that tiny handle.
Ok, end rant.
So, I happened to have a spare gold ball-end Tech handle lying around, and decided that I would attempt to strip it properly, and nickel plate it for use with this head. This head and base plate appear to have been used little (apparently the original owner didn't travel much, or viewed the too cute - but too teeny - handle with the same indifference as me), and the cap logo is very nice...too nice to ruin...and I've got yet another $6 test subject (on the way as I type this) to experiment with.
If you've been interested enough to have read about my re-plating exploits you know that I have been having a couple of issues, especially plating nickel over razors that were originally gold plated:
1. I've not figured out a simple way to strip all of the lacquer off of the handles, especially in the knurling and small crevices. Obviously the nickel plating will not adhere over lacquer, which has resulted in spotty results.
2. I've not been able to remove all traces of the gold plating, in the same areas, which I also believe contributes to the non-uniform plating result. My worry in being too aggressive with my removal method might act too smooth (or eliminate most of) the knurling detail and function, so I've been treading lightly.
So...
Yesterday, I took an ugly old gold-plated handle, wrapped it in a piece of paper towel, put it in a plastic quart freezer bag, and poured in enough lacquer thinner until the paper towel was saturated, and a little more. I sealed up the bag and let it soak over night.
I removed the wrapped handle today, squeezed out the excess thinner and unrolled the paper towel, expecting to see yellow lacquer residue...but, nope.
Ok, I washed the handle in dish soap and dried it, but what now? It looked EXACTLY the same as yesterday.
Well, I remembered that I had purchased some cheap polishing wheels of varying grits from the 'zon a while back and never tried them. The wheels, intended to be used with a Dremel tool, are firm yet will yield enough to contour a bit to the curves of, say, a knurled brass razor handle:
I didn't want to use my Dremel, so I chucked them into my buffing wheel, which allowed better control and lower speed. I went with a green, red, black progression...
...and it was a revelation! The gold plating disappeared very quickly leaving the knurling looking brand new, while not removing a ton of material. I touched up the butt end and ferrule by hand with a progression of wet/dry sandpaper, finishing with 2500 grit, and leaving those parts gleaming...yes!
The last thing I did was to run a piece of folded paper into, and around, the grooves of on the butt and ferrule to make sure I picked up every trace of lacquer hiding there.
A final buff on my wheel with some green compound left the ferrule and butt end of the handle very near a mirror polish.
I won't bore you any further with the gruesome details of the plating, but I will add that I went with 5v at 1.5amps. I usually use a lower amperage (.5-1amp), but wanted to make sure that I got even and complete coverage.
I let the plating go for 3-4 minutes, on my magnetic stirrer, pulled the handle, scrubbed and polished, and well, you know what they say about a picture's worth, so I'll let you judge the result as I'm probably already well past 1000 words:
I'm very pleased with the result.
The handle is impractically tiny, which leads me to a "short" rant:
Is the standard length ball-end handle really so long as to be a travel hardship? Seriously, I'm thinking that other than the novelty, I would rather suffer the extra weight and sacrifice the extra baggage space than suffer through a shave with that tiny handle.
Ok, end rant.
So, I happened to have a spare gold ball-end Tech handle lying around, and decided that I would attempt to strip it properly, and nickel plate it for use with this head. This head and base plate appear to have been used little (apparently the original owner didn't travel much, or viewed the too cute - but too teeny - handle with the same indifference as me), and the cap logo is very nice...too nice to ruin...and I've got yet another $6 test subject (on the way as I type this) to experiment with.
If you've been interested enough to have read about my re-plating exploits you know that I have been having a couple of issues, especially plating nickel over razors that were originally gold plated:
1. I've not figured out a simple way to strip all of the lacquer off of the handles, especially in the knurling and small crevices. Obviously the nickel plating will not adhere over lacquer, which has resulted in spotty results.
2. I've not been able to remove all traces of the gold plating, in the same areas, which I also believe contributes to the non-uniform plating result. My worry in being too aggressive with my removal method might act too smooth (or eliminate most of) the knurling detail and function, so I've been treading lightly.
So...
Yesterday, I took an ugly old gold-plated handle, wrapped it in a piece of paper towel, put it in a plastic quart freezer bag, and poured in enough lacquer thinner until the paper towel was saturated, and a little more. I sealed up the bag and let it soak over night.
I removed the wrapped handle today, squeezed out the excess thinner and unrolled the paper towel, expecting to see yellow lacquer residue...but, nope.
Ok, I washed the handle in dish soap and dried it, but what now? It looked EXACTLY the same as yesterday.
Well, I remembered that I had purchased some cheap polishing wheels of varying grits from the 'zon a while back and never tried them. The wheels, intended to be used with a Dremel tool, are firm yet will yield enough to contour a bit to the curves of, say, a knurled brass razor handle:
I didn't want to use my Dremel, so I chucked them into my buffing wheel, which allowed better control and lower speed. I went with a green, red, black progression...
...and it was a revelation! The gold plating disappeared very quickly leaving the knurling looking brand new, while not removing a ton of material. I touched up the butt end and ferrule by hand with a progression of wet/dry sandpaper, finishing with 2500 grit, and leaving those parts gleaming...yes!
The last thing I did was to run a piece of folded paper into, and around, the grooves of on the butt and ferrule to make sure I picked up every trace of lacquer hiding there.
A final buff on my wheel with some green compound left the ferrule and butt end of the handle very near a mirror polish.
I won't bore you any further with the gruesome details of the plating, but I will add that I went with 5v at 1.5amps. I usually use a lower amperage (.5-1amp), but wanted to make sure that I got even and complete coverage.
I let the plating go for 3-4 minutes, on my magnetic stirrer, pulled the handle, scrubbed and polished, and well, you know what they say about a picture's worth, so I'll let you judge the result as I'm probably already well past 1000 words:
I'm very pleased with the result.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #159
Oh, and I still plan on modifying a Tech into an SE razor by removing most of one side and re-plating it, I'm just waiting for the next test "subject" to arrive.
That turned out really well!! The handle looks like it was meant for that head!!So, my travel Tech arrived...and I didn't have the heart to destroy it.
The handle is impractically tiny, which leads me to a "short" rant:
Is the standard length ball-end handle really so long as to be a travel hardship? Seriously, I'm thinking that other than the novelty, I would rather suffer the extra weight and sacrifice the extra baggage space than suffer through a shave with that tiny handle.
Ok, end rant.
So, I happened to have a spare gold ball-end Tech handle lying around, and decided that I would attempt to strip it properly, and nickel plate it for use with this head. This head and base plate appear to have been used little (apparently the original owner didn't travel much, or viewed the too cute - but too teeny - handle with the same indifference as me), and the cap logo is very nice...too nice to ruin...and I've got yet another $6 test subject (on the way as I type this) to experiment with.
If you've been interested enough to have read about my re-plating exploits you know that I have been having a couple of issues, especially plating nickel over razors that were originally gold plated:
1. I've not figured out a simple way to strip all of the lacquer off of the handles, especially in the knurling and small crevices. Obviously the nickel plating will not adhere over lacquer, which has resulted in spotty results.
2. I've not been able to remove all traces of the gold plating, in the same areas, which I also believe contributes to the non-uniform plating result. My worry in being too aggressive with my removal method might act too smooth (or eliminate most of) the knurling detail and function, so I've been treading lightly.
So...
Yesterday, I took an ugly old gold-plated handle, wrapped it in a piece of paper towel, put it in a plastic quart freezer bag, and poured in enough lacquer thinner until the paper towel was saturated, and a little more. I sealed up the bag and let it soak over night.
I removed the wrapped handle today, squeezed out the excess thinner and unrolled the paper towel, expecting to see yellow lacquer residue...but, nope.
Ok, I washed the handle in dish soap and dried it, but what now? It looked EXACTLY the same as yesterday.
Well, I remembered that I had purchased some cheap polishing wheels of varying grits from the 'zon a while back and never tried them. The wheels, intended to be used with a Dremel tool, are firm yet will yield enough to contour a bit to the curves of, say, a knurled brass razor handle:
View attachment 1797982
I didn't want to use my Dremel, so I chucked them into my buffing wheel, which allowed better control and lower speed. I went with a green, red, black progression...
...and it was a revelation! The gold plating disappeared very quickly leaving the knurling looking brand new, while not removing a ton of material. I touched up the butt end and ferrule by hand with a progression of wet/dry sandpaper, finishing with 2500 grit, and leaving those parts gleaming...yes!
The last thing I did was to run a piece of folded paper into, and around, the grooves of on the butt and ferrule to make sure I picked up every trace of lacquer hiding there.
A final buff on my wheel with some green compound left the ferrule and butt end of the handle very near a mirror polish.
I won't bore you any further with the gruesome details of the plating, but I will add that I went with 5v at 1.5amps. I usually use a lower amperage (.5-1amp), but wanted to make sure that I got even and complete coverage.
I let the plating go for 3-4 minutes, on my magnetic stirrer, pulled the handle, scrubbed and polished, and well, you know what they say about a picture's worth, so I'll let you judge the result as I'm probably already well past 1000 words:
View attachment 1797996
I'm very pleased with the result.
