Restoring Old Razors

[neilt]

So, I am in the process of cleaning up some of my grandfather's former razors.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=178208

I have a flair tip that had some green goo on it. To my knowledge this was not a silver plate razor, and the green was not uniform, so, as a result of cleaning it off I have some pitting.

So...what are my options...I don't intend on selling, so re-plate is an option...who or how do I do this...

 

[BBrad]

The cleaning did not cause the pitting, but rather was exposed as a result of removing the goo. The pitting itself produced the green goo that you removed by cleaning. It is harmless, and comes from the oxidation of the copper in the brass.

You can minimize it by keeping the razor clean and dry. A coat of old-fashioned paste wax will help keep the oxidation at a minimum.

Many of these slightly brassed razors see regular use as a daily shaver - no harm to the razor's performance . . . just won't make a museum piece though!

Replating is an option, but requires stripping the existing plating and polishing the underlying brass prior to plating if you want a shiny finish.

I think it is great that you want to preserve your grandfather's razors.

 

[neilt]

Thanks brad!

I figured the green was from the copper alloy, I do understand once that is removed the pits are there.

So, is replating something I can do, or something that I can farm out?

 

[BBrad]

I briefly looked at some re-plating kits and supplies last year. For me, the initial costs were not worth the potential return on re-plating a few pieces.

Here is a quote from a thread last week:

You cant just plate over the pit's,they have to be sanded out.If they are difficult to reach with tools it will be expensive because of the time involved.I'm one of the vendors here that does re-plating.

I have never had a razor re-plated, but I have read a lot of buddydog's posts regarding the subject. Methinks the man knows his stuff!!

Contact him and see if he can look at pictures to maybe estimate what it will take to re-plate your razor.