I started a thread the other day asking you guys if any of you had any experience re-plating your own razors. Some of you did but most did not. I know that there are several companies out there who do great work re-plating razors, and having one of them re-plate a treasured or rare piece is definitely worth the expense. However, a lot of us have razors in our collections that we paid $5 for at an antique store. We want to clean them up and possibly re-plate, but can’t justify the expense of a professional job for a $5 razor. That’s why I’m going to experiment with it. Maybe this will work, maybe it’ll look terrible, I don’t know. We will find out together. I am going to do this experiment using chemicals and tools easily found around the average home. Yes, I could spend lots of money on specialized chemicals and equipment, but that would defeat the entire purpose. I have decided on a candidate, a ball-end Tech. It was gold plated originally, but the plating is in bad shape. Most is worn down or missing completely. There are a few small spots of brassing too.
Re-plating your own razors: The Project
- Thread starter Iloverootbeer
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I’m interested to see your work and how it all turns out.
I’m following!
I’m following!
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- #3
Since it’s getting late here on the east coast, I decided to just take the razor apart and just give it a good initial scrub to remove any heavy dirt deposits, loose plating or varnish. I used a paste consisting of Comet and water, and a scrubby sponge from the kitchen.
Before:
And after:
Still a lot of staining left on the handle, and varnish buildup on the underside of the cap and bottom plate, but we will address that tomorrow with a more thorough cleaning and degreasing.
Before:
Still a lot of staining left on the handle, and varnish buildup on the underside of the cap and bottom plate, but we will address that tomorrow with a more thorough cleaning and degreasing.
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- #4
Glad to have you!
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- #5
In case I haven’t mentioned it yet, I will be plating this razor with nickel. Gold plating requires a slightly different process, and the gold anodes are more expensive.
I did plating of antique watches many years ago. Many different colors of gold as well as lots of nickel. Most metals first required an underplating of brass. This was all accomplished with rather sophisticated equipment. I am keenly interested in both your approach as well as the results. Good luck!
Good luck man!
Curious to see the progress and the outcome
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- #9
Thanks guys! The nickel anodes should arrive tomorrow!
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- #10
Btw, I will be posting WHILE I’m doing this, not just after it’s done. That way we will all be more involved in it together.
Sounds like a great project!
I’ll be watching !! This stuff interests me !!
I’m interested- best of luck !
Best of luck! Thanks for posting. 
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- #15
Stopped by the store this morning to get a few things we’ll need.
- white vinegar
- distilled water
- table salt
- glass jars with lids **only use clean glass jars for the actual plating and cleaning. Other materials may contaminate our acetate or our cleaning solutions**
- muriatic acid ** I am using muriatic acid to clean the razor before plating. I will explain in more detail later.
I am waiting on the nickel anodes and alligator clips (used to connect the wire leads from the power source to the anode and cathode.) Amazon says they will be here this afternoon, so we will resume when they arrive.
- white vinegar
- distilled water
- table salt
- glass jars with lids **only use clean glass jars for the actual plating and cleaning. Other materials may contaminate our acetate or our cleaning solutions**
- muriatic acid ** I am using muriatic acid to clean the razor before plating. I will explain in more detail later.
I am waiting on the nickel anodes and alligator clips (used to connect the wire leads from the power source to the anode and cathode.) Amazon says they will be here this afternoon, so we will resume when they arrive.
Awesome project! I wouldn't think to replate a razor myself.
This should be super, thanks for doing this.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
This should be super, thanks for doing this.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
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- #17
We’ll see how it turns out! Either way, good or bad, it’ll be a learning experience.
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- #18
We’ll see how it goes!
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- #19
Stay tuned!
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- #20
Thanks!
