Polishing DE Razors With a Dremel (howto)

[McShaverson]

I always see "how to clean DE" threads and "how to polish DE" threads, but I've never seen one about polishing razors with a Dremel . So I figured I would make one

Let me first say that I would NOT advise you to do this on plastics and I have no experience with gold plated razors so do that at your own risk.

Now that we have that out of the way lets get started. Today, my razor of choice is a Gillete Fatboy.

As you can see there are some water spots on the silo doors as well as couple of soap stains on the inside, all in all, it needs a good polish. Here's a small list of things that you're going to need.

-Dremel (variable speed)
-Maas or other polish
-Old toothbrush
-Soft cloth
-Light oil
-Nylon polishing wheel
-Dish soap

A small note on the polishing brush for the dremel. I'm using the bigger nylon one. They also make a smaller brush that will most likely be easier to polish the head with.

The first step that you want to take is to rub Mass all over the part that you're going to be polishing. Easy enough huh?

Next you need to put your nylon brush in the dremel and set it to the lowest speed possible. Then, begin lightly polishing the maas onto the DE.

You'll notice that it's going to turn a gunmetal grey/black, that's OK because it will be washed off later. Just make sure that you cover every nook and cranny of the razor.

After polishing you're going to want to run some warm water into a cup and mix it with a little dish soap. Then, scrub off all of the Maas with a toothbrush and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

Add a few drop of light oil to all of the moving parts and "Voila!" a razor that is fit for drooling over.

If I've missed any steps just let me know and I'll correct them. I've added a link to a photobucket album just in case you need to see any of the pictures at a higher resolution. There are also a few more that I didn't feel necessary to add to this thread. Also, if you have any questions/tips feel free to add in

http://s856.photobucket.com/albums/ab124/3dfkevin/DELowRes/DeHiRes/

Happy Shaving,
Kevin

 

[mdunn]

great howto, mate

 

[gaseousclay]

I really should get a Dremel. they would be incredibly useful for cleaning up gunky old razors I might find in antique stores

 

[rickboone1]

Thanks for posting this! I've been wondering what attachment would work best.

 

[82R100]

Voila!

 

[tom myers]

Obviously, your Dremel does the job on your nickel plated razor. I would definitely recommend not using it, or any other power polishing tool, on a silver or gold plated razor.

The fact of the matter is that even on the nickel plating, between a soak in Scrubbing Bubbles and a hand polishing with MAAS with a soft cloth and a toothbrush, I have never found it necessary to use any type of power polishing method on any razor. I have cleaned and polished many dozens of razors without ever feeling the need to use a power tool.

You want to remember that every time you polish any plating, you are removing part of that plating, so the least amount of polishing that will do the job of bringing out the original shine, the longer the plating will last.

I know that some collectors won't polish a silver razor at all because the silver plating is quite soft and can be polished off rather easily. I must admit that I am not quite that much of a antique purist, and I do want to see that original beauty of a silver plated razor, but please polish these razors very gently.

Gold does not tarnish, so it should never be necessary to polish a gold plated razor if the plating is intact. Polishing will simply rub off the protective layer of lacquer that protects the very thin gold plating from wearing off.

Regards,
Tom

 

[McShaverson]

Obviously, your Dremel does the job on your nickel plated razor. I would definitely recommend not using it, or any other power polishing tool, on a silver or gold plated razor.

The fact of the matter is that even on the nickel plating, between a soak in Scrubbing Bubbles and a hand polishing with MAAS with a soft cloth and a toothbrush, I have never found it necessary to use any type of power polishing method on any razor. I have cleaned and polished many dozens of razors without ever feeling the need to use a power tool.

You want to remember that every time you polish any plating, you are removing part of that plating, so the least amount of polishing that will do the job of bringing out the original shine, the longer the plating will last.

I know that some collectors won't polish a silver razor at all because the silver plating is quite soft and can be polished off rather easily. I must admit that I am not quite that much of a antique purist, and I do want to see that original beauty of a silver plated razor, but please polish these razors very gently.

Gold does not tarnish, so it should never be necessary to polish a gold plated razor if the plating is intact. Polishing will simply rub off the protective layer of lacquer that protects the very thin gold plating from wearing off.

Regards,
Tom

Interesting... although this is not a heavy polish. It really only takes a couple of seconds with very little pressure. It's just easier for the brush of the dremel to get to all of the small spots rather than my ungainly hands. That's why I say to use it at the slowest speed possible.

 

[McShaverson]

Voila!

Thank you sir! I was wondering how to spell that

 

[beelzulbub]

Similar results can also be obtained with #0000 steel wool and MAAS.

 

[buddydog]

One of the ways I remove old plating prior to replating is with 0000 steel wool.

 

[mmack66]

I can see using the Dremel on the handle, but I am not sure I would use it on the doors.

 

[highball]

I wouldn't recommend using power tools on a DE, unless your are trying to strip the plating off or shine a all brass razor

 

[McShaverson]

Hm, it worked well for me, and this is probably the 4th or 5th razor I've done it to. The brush is not hard at all, as in, I can put it to my skin and it doesn't tear it up or even hurt it. Idk, YMMV I suppose.

 

[AsylumGuido]

Hm, it worked well for me, and this is probably the 4th or 5th razor I've done it to. The brush is not hard at all, as in, I can put it to my skin and it doesn't tear it up or even hurt it. Idk, YMMV I suppose.

I agree. The nylon brush should be gentle enough to use with the nickel plating. But, as mentioned, I wouldn't use any aggressive means on a silver or gold plated razor.

 

[e sinker]

wow thanks for showing this

 

[John C]

Thanks for taking the time to post your method.
While it may not work on all razors, it definately can be a time saving step for cleaning up some of those *really* gunky swap meet razors that I've run across.
Heck it would have saved me about three hours last night.

 

[Blondie]

Gold does not tarnish, so it should never be necessary to polish a gold plated razor if the plating is intact. Polishing will simply rub off the protective layer of lacquer that protects the very thin gold plating from wearing off.

Regards,
Tom

So what is the stuff I get on the rag when I polish a Gold Razor? I have a new standard from the 20's, and use a polish that is safe and gentle. The rag turns black and the razor shines like the dickens. Is it just dirt?

 

[T Rick]

So what is the stuff I get on the rag when I polish a Gold Razor? I have a new standard from the 20's, and use a polish that is safe and gentle. The rag turns black and the razor shines like the dickens. Is it just dirt?

What is the polish you are using? I need to know a good one for a few of mine.

FWIW, I seem to have read somewhere that the lacquer wasn't applied on earlier razors? Can anyone confirm this, maybe name a year or even an era when the change occurred (IIRC, they said plated had the lacquer, where earlier razors were not plated but gold filled?).

 

[tom myers]

So what is the stuff I get on the rag when I polish a Gold Razor? I have a new standard from the 20's, and use a polish that is safe and gentle. The rag turns black and the razor shines like the dickens. Is it just dirt?

Are you sure you are polishing a gold razor and not a brass razor?

Gold does not tarnish. If you leave a gold coin, gold jewelry or a gold razor go for years, it may get dirty, but it won't tarnish. It will be able to be cleaned with normal soap or detergent and brought back to its original brilliance without any polishing.

Brass, on the other hand, can look convincingly similar to gold but, of course, it will tarnish and will need to be polished to bring it back to its original luster.

On the question of gold filled razors, I had not heard of that, but I can't say that such razors weren't made. If so, a gold filled item such as an expensive watch, has a much heavier layer of gold than a gold plated item. A gold filled item would likely not be lacquered, since it would stand up to wear much better than an item that was simply gold plated.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Blondie]

Are you sure you are polishing a gold razor and not a brass razor?

Gold does not tarnish. If you leave a gold coin, gold jewelry or a gold razor go for years, it may get dirty, but it won't tarnish. It will be able to be cleaned with normal soap or detergent and brought back to its original brilliance without any polishing.

Brass, on the other hand, can look convincingly similar to gold but, of course, it will tarnish and will need to be polished to bring it back to its original luster.

On the question of gold filled razors, I had not heard of that, but I can't say that such razors weren't made. If so, a gold filled item such as an expensive watch, has a much heavier layer of gold than a gold plated item. A gold filled item would likely not be lacquered, since it would stand up to wear much better than an item that was simply gold plated.

Regards,
Tom

It's a Gillette New Standard. I'm pretty sure it is gold. Here is a photo, what do you think?