Recommend a replating service

[Stampede]

I am not sure what your point is in reposting Dave's price list with non-current exchange rates is. The only new information you offered is the silver and nickel price, which at current exchange rates would be $42.03 for nickel and $59.84 for silver. Thanks for that information. There is the added shipping cost and time element to consider as well. As I mentioned it is nice to have choices and it pays to shop around.

I would agree with you 100% that Nick's price for Nickel is higher than others.

 

[mrb7]

Yes, he does a nickel base prior to the Rhodium Just like Dave. I believe that is SOP for any Rhodium plating, but I could be wrong as I am no expert.

Yes, the message I got when I inquired was Nickel first, then Rhodium.

I don't think anyone can do it much of any other way. Rhodium will bond to Gold reasonably well, but it will not bond to Brass.

 

[Shutterbug57]

I have had outstanding results from both Dave at Restored Razors and at Above The Tie. I see that Dave is out of the running at the moment. AFAIK, ATT is still doing replating. They were slow, but the quality of work was absolutely first rate.

 

[nuclearblast]

I am not sure what your point is in reposting Dave's price list with non-current exchange rates is. The only new information you offered is the silver and nickel price, which at current exchange rates would be $42.03 for nickel and $59.84 for silver. Thanks for that information. There is the added shipping cost and time element to consider as well. As I mentioned it is nice to have choices and it pays to shop around.

I would agree with you 100% that Nick's price for Nickel is higher than others.

Well, you would have to tell that to Dave, since I just took it from his site. And yes, I am sure Dave was charging $59.84 for silver and $42.03 for nickel ...

 

[Stampede]

Well, you would have to tell that to Dave, since I just took it from his site. And yes, I am sure Dave was charging $59.84 for silver and $42.03 for nickel ...

????? I am not sure if you are trying to be argumentative or sarcastic. I obviously didn't get my point across. Sorry Mate... I'm just a dumb country boy. But, Dave accepts payment in British Pounds only not US Dollars. So his price of £25 for nickel is $42.03 at todays exchange rate. That could change tomorrow or the next day in Dollars, more or less. I am sure the dollar price posted in his price list was the current exchange rate at the time he posted it. Since he doesn't accept US Dollars we have to pay what ever the current exchange rate is for the British Pound. If you went to PayPal today to pay Dave £25 PayPal would hit your account for approx. $42.03...

But what ever you say I will agree with if it helps...

 

[nocutsnonicksnoweepers]

B&B Friends, Mods and Admins,

I am posting to provide specific information and not to shill my service in any way. I would like to clarify the current status of the razor replating market and clear up confusion that seems to be fueling some lively debate!

As noted in an earlier post that I made, I am expanding my replating operation to fill the void that all of you have felt since the untimely sabbaticals of Sam (Krona) and Dave (onotoman). I may be mistaken, but I believe that Stan (ATT) has also taken a break from providing replating services.

I will now offer full-service gold and rhodium replating - in addition to the nickel that I have always provided. As soon as my website is complete and I receive my rhodium, gold, anodes and new laboratory equipment - I will be making a post in the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds. In that post, you will find a link to my website, so that you can research and compare my services, prices, etc. to any other other vendor you may be considering. Everything will be thoughtfully laid-out for customers to make informed decisions. Of course, it will also be my pleasure to personally address any inquiries or questions as well.

I do not follow international monetary exchange rates and small fluctuations will not negatively impact the way that I operate or affect my pricing model.

My promise to the B&B Community is that I am honoring Dave's posted prices for gold and rhodium work. I will not take advantage of my wet-shaving friends by inflating prices since (as far as I know) I may be the only B&B-registered purveyor of razor replating services.

Dave and Sam have always been good citizens and both have been transparent with their pricing and policies. I like to think that I run my operation with the same honest and gentlemanly attributes that these guys provided to our community for so many years.

• My nickel plating has always been $35 USD (and includes CONUS return shipping at no additional cost) and will continue to be so.
• My gold plating will be $62 USD (exactly as posted on the Restored Razors website) - even if current exchange rates mean that I am undercharging, the price will be honored
• My rhodium plating will be $95 USD (exactly as posted on the Restored Razors website) - even if current exchange rates mean that I am undercharging, the price will be honored
• Although I am honoring Daves' prices, the services should net out to be less expensive for CONUS customers that would not need to ship their razors back-and-forth to the UK
• Due to the exorbitant cost for gold and rhodium materials and the fluctuations in commodities market pricing for them, I will not be able to absorb "included CONUS shipping" in the price of these services. I would rather do it that way vs. constantly having to tweak gold and rhodium prices each time I replenish supplies

Finally, to address a technical topic.......When properly plated, both gold and rhodium are deposited over nickel. Essentially, this means that the razor is given a complete nickel replate service - then the final gold or rhodium is plated over the nickel. That is why Dave's website breaks his prices down into the nickel component + an "adder" for the gold or rhodium component.

Thank you.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Chris - thanks for the pricing update! Definitely let us know when the website/thread is up and running.

 

[Stampede]

Chris, I am excited that you are adding the other metals to your services offered. I am looking forward to getting some razors plated by you. I am also glad you are in the US and your prices are reasonable and in US Dollars. But just to be clear, Dave's prices were never in US Dollars, they were in British Pound Sterling. The "Dollar" amount in parenthesis on his website was an "Approximation" of the exchange rate to British Pound Sterling at the time which was the only currency he accepted. If you end up selling your services to anyone overseas that has to convert their currency to US Dollars, they will have to deal with the currency fluctuations of the existing exchange rate. Given the value of the dollar they be getting a better deal than we would converting the USD to the GBP.

For example: Dave's price for Rhodium was £60 ($95) Keep in mind you have to pay Dave the £60 as he does not accept the USD. If Dave sent you a PayPal invoice today for £60 PayPal will hit your account approx. $100.87.... So Dave's price in Dollars "TODAY" is $100.87

Likewise, If you sent a PayPal invoice to a customer today in Great Britain for $95.00 PayPal will hit their account for £56.51 British pound Sterling.

The exchange rate is always going to come into play for the buyer who has to purchase with a different currency that what the seller accepts.

 

[nocutsnonicksnoweepers]

Bill,

Clear and concise explanation. Thank you for the clarification. Most of my customers are from the US and Canada, so I have not had big issues to address. When I invoice, I always make it clear that my pricing is in USD.

My main reason for posting was to make it clear that my services will be available at prices that are not artificially inflated simply because there are currently not too many vendor options available.

I may be a seasoned "razor replater", but I do this as a hobby because I enjoy it and I like to help out my fellow wet shaving enthusiasts. When all is said-and-done, it provides me with a little pocket change to spend with other shaving vendors and such. I want to keep things fun and gentlemanly and to be a good steward to those desiring a quality replate from a gent that they (hopefully!) can trust.

The support and kudos that I get from you guys is much appreciated and it is my pleasure to assist all of you in "making old things new again".

The moment that my website goes live and as soon as I have installed the new gold and rhodium plating stations in my shop/lab, I will immediately make an official post in the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds. My supplier informed me that new bench-top, laboratory DC power supplies, all gold materials and all rhodium materials shipped today. I should receive them by the end of the week. After mixing chemicals and doing some preliminary QC procedures, my gold and rhodium options will be ready to roll.

Thanks again for your constructive and positive commentary!

 

[Stampede]

You bet Chris, I am excited that you are able to expand your services and I will definitely be sending you some of my stuff to get re-plated.

 

[mastershake]

chris do you attempt to lightly buff out any spots of imperfections in the metal if possible before plating or do they get plated over? some like the "original" metal under the plating but i prefer the nice smooth surface one would get by lightly sanding or buffing out the metal. i have a couple id like to get done. my other question are can you plate over stainless? and will you be able to do black chrome? my brother in law has a ikon he saw someone else had done in black chrome and really wants to have it dont that way.

thanks!

 

[pejay66]

I am interested in your plate work. Is razor plate.com come is invite only? Thx.

Patrick

 

[nocutsnonicksnoweepers]

I will answer both questions from the last two posts in this reply:

Unless a customer were to request otherwise, I most certainly do my best to correct overt "bad spots" in razors, but will never attempt any process that is likely to affect the functionality or geometry of a razor. Many times, minor issues can be removed with gentle techniques and you would never know the flaw had been there Unfortunately, the truth is that sometimes pitting is too severe, dents from a drop onto a hard surface too deep, etc. These issues can be rectified to some degree, but never completely eliminated. Being too aggressive with heroic measures can result in a compromised razor - which none of us want to experience.

Prior to replating, all razors are stripped to their base metal - just as they were before being initially plated at the factory. Plating takes on the "sheen" of the surface upon which is deposited. If the base metal is not prepped and polished prior to the new plating, the new plating will be no more shiny than the appearance of the surface upon which it is plated. Sort of a satin appearance - and most likely NOT what the customer was expecting! In order to get a mirror-like shine with the plating, the surface of the base metal must be shiny and mirror-like prior to the application of the plating. The whole end result is similar to the concept of putting a nice paint job on a car. As you had heard many times before, "preparation is everything"!

This finely polished base metal is achieved via judicious use of chemicals, polishes and buffing materials. The key is to think "slow and easy with as little excessive abrasive material as possible". The most common materials used are muslin (100% cotton) buffing wheels and something called Tripoli (also known as red jeweler's rouge). If a razor is in rough shape, a graduated-step approach is used - beginning with whatever "grit" of abrasive buffing wheel is necessary - and working through to milder-and-milder abrasives - until it is time for the cotton buffing wheel and jeweler's rouge. It is all situational. Each razor may require a different technique - based upon its condition when I receive it.

Stainless can be plated with nickel only after being flash-plated with copper. It requires extra work and is slightly more expensive, but it can be done. In addition to nickel, gold and rhodium - I also have a copper plating station in my shop/lab. It gives me the ability to address certain razor types that other vendors may not be able to accommodate.

Thanks for the question about my forthcoming website. The IT team that is building the website currenty has it set for "admin-only" viewing while they are adding content, formatting pages, etc. At the present time, if you enter the URL into your browser, it takes you to a sign-in/password page that is only accessible to the IT team while they are editing. Once the website is completed, it will be accessible to everyone as a general website. Nothing special will be required - just enter the address and it will be there like any other regular website. Hopefully, construction on it will be finished within the next week or so.

Thanks!

 

[onotoman]

It was and is always just a hobby for me, the price covers chemicals and equipment really. If the replating price becomes too high, it will get to the point that it's not worth plating a razor unless it's of specific value (rare, or an heirloom).

As others have indicated, Chris will need to charge more for Rhodium and Gold, partly due to the fact that Rhodium and Gold chemicals are more and also due to the fact that Rhodium, Gold, Chrome, Silver application is a two-stage process (usually applied over a layer of nickel)

I was only joking. In reality though one can only assume that the other replaters have left the hobby because the financial rewards arent worth the work involved. I think people who do good work can command whatever price they wish and people will pay it if they want the service. I am just a new guy though, don't take that comment as argumentative or anything. I think Chris is a great guy and I hope he does very well with this.

 

[GolfGolf]

I would recommend Chris (nonicksnocutsnoweepers), here is a pic of the work he did for me.
Gary