I over-scrubbing bubbled :(

[Jobol]

Hey guys,

Received to new beautiful looking razors (Gillette Tech and a Gem) and as usual I plunged them in the Soap Scum. But forgot them there for a couple of hours and now I removed them and brushed them and I noticed that the Gillette tech lower head part is full of white spots like calcium deposits or something and the upper head is becoming black or something while it was shiny bright before :(

Did the SoapScum eat throw the plating or is that simple tarnish that can be removed? can anything be done at all?


Thanks :(

[Telecaster52]

white spots on a tech handle leads me to believe you have an aluminum handle, and the white spots are oxidation brought on by something in the cleaner

[Jobol]

white spots on a tech handle leads me to believe you have an aluminum handle, and the white spots are oxidation brought on by something in the cleaner

Strangely enough, the handle is still in a pretty good shape. It is the head and the base of the head that are affected.

The head has darkened and I can see through what looks like copper color to me, and the base of the head has white haze on it now.

[Greybeard]

A picture would probably help. If it's a fat handle Tech, then the top plate could well be nickel plated copper. The nickel plating could be worn enough to allow the copper to be exposed. The dark spots could be the copper oxidizing or it could be in the nickel. Polishing the top plate with MAAS should remove the dark spots, although the copper might then show. This would also apply if the top plate is brass instead of copper.

If it's a newer Tech, then the top plate could be made of chrome plated zinc. The dark spots would be places where the chrome plating has come off and the zinc is oxidizing. You wouldn't get a copper color showing though and there's nothing you can really do about this.

Most bottom plates of Tech heads are made of nickel plated brass. The white spots sound like water spots on the nickel. You can try soaking it for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. Then polish with MAAS (or Flitz, or Meguiar's Plast-X).

[Jobol]

Thanks Greybeard.

But what is weird is that before I spray the Soap Scum on the parts, it had mirror shine finish.

All that tarnishing and hazing appeared in a couple of hours.

[Greybeard]

Thanks Greybeard.

But what is weird is that before I spray the Soap Scum on the parts, it had mirror shine finish.

All that tarnishing and hazing appeared in a couple of hours.

I'm not familiar with Soap Scum, but I doubt that it's strong enough to remove nickel plating. This is just speculation, but if the Tech was polished beforehand then there might have been some polish residue left on the razor. The Soap Scum might have had a chemical reaction with the polish residue. If so, then most of the haze should polish out.