Proper care of Nickel and Chrome plated razors.

[martiniduck]

I have a chrome plated razor and a Nickel plated razor. The nickel plated one has a spot on it where the plating is gone. This was a replated Gillette new head. I only used it a handful of times. It does not look worn, but rather it looks like it was dissolved by something. The chrome plated razor I have been using for about 9 months almost every day. The problem with it could be just that it has been worn out. The threads on this 3 piece razor have been worn and discolored. I usually clean my razors after every use with isopropyl alcohol. I was told it displaces the water and then evaporates. I was wondering if Barbaside is safe on nickel and chrome. Also is toothpaste harmful to these metals? I think a drop of toothpaste may have been the culprit with the nickel razor.

[mblakele]

The thread wear sounds normal. That part of the razor sees a lot of mechanical action. Looking at my older razors, few have any plating left on the threads.

The nickel spot doesn't sound normal, unless your toothpaste has sulfuric acid in it. Some pictures might help.

I don't use barbicide or isopropyl on my razors. In between blades most of them get a shot of scrubbing bubbles, left on for about a minute and then rinsed thoroughly. But I don't use scrubbing bubbles on plastic or Bakelite razors, so those don't get sanitized (maybe someday I'll try a little idophor on those). Barbicide should be safe enough for a dip, if you follow the instructions. But I have seen some evidence that soaking in Barbicide may weaken plating over time.

[Dr. Francois]

A pencil eraser sized bit of chrome came off my Merkur 38C within 2 months of purchase. I sent it back to Merkur, and they replaced it with a new one. I'm not sure what happened, if it was my fault or a QC issue. either way, I'm back to shaving!

[mmbcastle]

You said the nickel plated one had been replated. That could be part of the issue. Depending on the method used, replacement plating is almost never as thick as original factory. They dip a rack full of items several times to make sure they all have a decent coverage. A replate will typically plate until it looks good and stop. Not to say everyone does it that way. It's just a different process. Scale makes it work a little different too. "Richer" solutions, higher voltages, etc. Also, if an item isn't properly prepared before plating, it might not stick well.

[jwilock]

I've got an EJ DE89 that I've used about every other day for about 4 months now. I've never done anything to it other than rinse it after I use it, and then rinse it well when I change blades and dry it off well with a soft towel. It sill shines like new. Is that all I need to do, or should I be doing something more in order for it to last a lot longer?

[cooncatbob]

You said the nickel plated one had been replated. That could be part of the issue. Depending on the method used, replacement plating is almost never as thick as original factory. They dip a rack full of items several times to make sure they all have a decent coverage. A replate will typically plate until it looks good and stop. Not to say everyone does it that way. It's just a different process. Scale makes it work a little different too. "Richer" solutions, higher voltages, etc. Also, if an item isn't properly prepared before plating, it might not stick well.

Actually if your talking Gillette razors a replate will be thicker then the thin plating Gillette use.
I had to strip the nickel off a vintage Gillette razor head, it took 1 hour in the nickel stripper.
I had ono of my replated heads with a flaw in it, it took 3 hours to remove the nickel.

[mmbcastle]

Bob,

Like I said, I don't pretend to speak for everyone, and I apologize for painting with an overly broad brush. I know there are quality services out there, and from what I've seen of your work on this site, you are one of the exceptions I was talking about. A lot of "services" go out and buy a $50 brush plater and boom, they're in business.

I was just throwing that out as a possibilty that he had a bad replate on that razor. I don't know of much that will take off a quality plate job in the way he describes.

[kingfisher]

I've got an EJ DE89 that I've used about every other day for about 4 months now. I've never done anything to it other than rinse it after I use it, and then rinse it well when I change blades and dry it off well with a soft towel. It sill shines like new. Is that all I need to do, or should I be doing something more in order for it to last a lot longer?

I don't think anything else is necessary.

People definitely overthink and overclean their razors. I just rinse, shake, dry the handle, and hang the razor in its stand every day. I haven't used alcohol or scrubbing bubbles or anything on any of my razors once they've been properly cleaned the first time (these are razors I found at antique stores). So far my Slim looks the same as the day I bought it and I've used it for about 18 months. Now I'm using a Fatboy and I plan on treating it the same way I treated my Slim.

[Puerco]

Am I the only one that puts some grease on the threads and on the moving parts? Or in case of a TTO model, some oil to lubricate the mechanism? I also use some petroleum jelly (vaseline) on the inside where the blade goes to prevent rust to form between the blade and the razor. With every blade change I use a toothbrush and a drop of mild detergent (usually shampoo because that's right there in the bathroom) to clean of the buildup soap scum and a little vaseline on the inside of the head to keep the rust away. Maybe overly concerned but I've had some cheap blades rust in there, I don't know the brand anymore but they were crap anyway.

[martiniduck]

Thanks to all the replies. I will take less care of my razors so that they last longer.
Bob has some great products at his website. I purchased a razor from him and it is almost too pretty to use.
I saw a thread here somewhere about places to get replating done. Can someone help me with a link?

[AABCDS]

Thanks to all the replies. I will take less care of my razors so that they last longer.
Bob has some great products at his website. I purchased a razor from him and it is almost too pretty to use.
I saw a thread here somewhere about places to get replating done. Can someone help me with a link?

Here's a link (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site%3Abadgerandblade.com+razor+replating) to the threads on B&B about razor replating.

[johnnyxxl]

I use a toothbrush and water to clean my razors. I also would like to say how many 40 year old razors have a virgin plating that is not exposed to water and acidic conditions not saying one did a better job than another. I have had most new jobs of metal plating with other stuff not done as well as the old.

[mmbcastle]

Thanks to all the replies. I will take less care of my razors so that they last longer.

I have noticed that razors are a lot like silver tableware. The best way to clean them is to use them. I often put lower grade razors into my rotation (after cleaning of course) and I notice the condition improves over time. When you think about it, it makes sense. Normal use involves soap, hot water and friction, the main ingredients in many cleaning situations.