Polish blade with gold wash?

[skald]

Hey, I suspect this question has been asked before but I can't find the answer...

I just bought a Wacker with a pretty nice etch and gold wash. It has some fairly minor discolouration all over it, but it needs a good polish.

I don't want to just rub polish on it for fear of rubbing off the gold.

Is there a polish that is safe on gold-washed blades, or is this going to be a super fussy process of Q tips and frustration?

Thanks!

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

“Is there a polish that is safe on gold-washed blades, or is this going to be a super fussy process of Q tips and frustration?”

Nope, Gold wash is very thin and will wear away just from touching and use. Rubbing Alcohol and a Qtip will clean and brighten a gold wash blade but, nothing short of replating can repair lost gold wash. Use a clean Qtip and lite pressure.

Any metal polish will remove the gold. I often remove all the gold wash and polish once they start to look ratty. It removes easily with a scotch brite wheel and can then be buffed to a high shine.

I do not advise buying razors with gold wash unless you intend to remove it completely and the price reflects the condition.

 

[skald]

Well, that was not the answer I was hoping for!

However, thanks!

Your advice on buying razors with gold is probably excellent from a commercial perspective, but I only ever buy razors I want to shave with, so the price has less to do with actual value for me than "how much do I want to shave with that thing," which gold has very little affect on!

However, now that I hear this, I might start adding the question "how much do I want to polish around that crap?" when I'm thinking about value!

“Is there a polish that is safe on gold-washed blades, or is this going to be a super fussy process of Q tips and frustration?”

Nope, Gold wash is very thin and will wear away just from touching and use. Rubbing Alcohol and a Qtip will clean and brighten a gold wash blade but, nothing short of replating can repair lost gold wash. Use a clean Qtip and lite pressure.

Any metal polish will remove the gold. I often remove all the gold wash and polish once they start to look ratty. It removes easily with a scotch brite wheel and can then be buffed to a high shine.

I do not advise buying razors with gold wash unless you intend to remove it completely and the price reflects the condition.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I've never tried it, some people recommend coating the etch with nail polish to protect it while cleaning up the blade.

 

[bluesman 7]

I'd just polish it and live with the wear. Putting gold on a tool is a sign of affluence. What could be a better show of true affluence than valuing the overall finish more than a silly few microns of gold. Some wear looks cool.

 

[skald]

I tried the nail polish. It worked a treat.