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Green tarnish/corrosion on Gillette New

I recently acquired a gold Gillette New (bar handle) in pretty rough shape. The gold plating is gone from much of the razor and there is even some green tarnish (or is it corrosion?) in spots on the razor head and between the teeth.

I bought the razor with the explicit intention to have it replated, so what should I do to get it "ready" for replating. I want to clean it and treat any potential corrosion so that it doesn't just get covered over in the plating process only to reveal itself down the road!

Thanks for your help!

P.S. - Please note, I have no way to get "Scrubbing Bubbles" so appreciate ideas that don't require the stuff.

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The brass has tarnished turning green. Clean with some brass polish.

A competent replater will clean the razors in several bathes before replating.
 
As is stated above, the green is just tarnish, which will remove. If you want to remove all the finish, this is what worked for me:

I bought this NEW, in disgusting condition, purely as a learning experience:
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Gillette NEW before picture.

This is how it now looks:
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Gillette NEW after stripping/polishing.

(More pics in my Flickr account.)

First I soaked it in Tilex to remove soap scum from between the teeth, although I really could have cut out this stage considering how aggressive I was to become later.

Then it got a long soaks in Lysol, after which I scrubbed it in dishwashing detergent – I used a nail brush and plenty of boiling water. Then I repeated the Lysol and scrubbing process.

After that I removed what was left of the gold finish with a soak in boiling vinegar. I figured that if I microwaved the vinegar in an empty jam jar I’d make the house smell less than boiling it in a pan on the stove, and I could drop the razor right in and tighten the lid to keep the smell in. I also added some baking soda. I’m not sure how necessary the baking soda was, but it was fun to watch it explode like that.

After a few hours I removed the razor, washed it again, and gently sanded the end of the handle and top plate to remove bangs and scratches. I used 1000-grit sandpaper followed by 2000-grit. (I thought I’d done a good job here, but a lot more dings were apparent after it was shiny, so don’t go easy here.)

Then I spent an age polishing in Brasso. I used a toothbrush to get into the underside of the head, between the teeth and the knurling.

I once read that, if you are going to replate something, the shinier you get it before you replate, the shinier it will be afterwards. However, I'd recommend talking to your replater rather than relying on me. . .

Having said that, I’m sold on the brass and copper look, although brass does tarnish with use.
 
awesome job
As is stated above, the green is just tarnish, which will remove. If you want to remove all the finish, this is what worked for me:

I bought this NEW, in disgusting condition, purely as a learning experience:
proxy.php

Gillette NEW before picture.

This is how it now looks:
proxy.php

Gillette NEW after stripping/polishing.

(More pics in my Flickr account.)

First I soaked it in Tilex to remove soap scum from between the teeth, although I really could have cut out this stage considering how aggressive I was to become later.

Then it got a long soaks in Lysol, after which I scrubbed it in dishwashing detergent – I used a nail brush and plenty of boiling water. Then I repeated the Lysol and scrubbing process.

After that I removed what was left of the gold finish with a soak in boiling vinegar. I figured that if I microwaved the vinegar in an empty jam jar I’d make the house smell less than boiling it in a pan on the stove, and I could drop the razor right in and tighten the lid to keep the smell in. I also added some baking soda. I’m not sure how necessary the baking soda was, but it was fun to watch it explode like that.

After a few hours I removed the razor, washed it again, and gently sanded the end of the handle and top plate to remove bangs and scratches. I used 1000-grit sandpaper followed by 2000-grit. (I thought I’d done a good job here, but a lot more dings were apparent after it was shiny, so don’t go easy here.)

Then I spent an age polishing in Brasso. I used a toothbrush to get into the underside of the head, between the teeth and the knurling.

I once read that, if you are going to replate something, the shinier you get it before you replate, the shinier it will be afterwards. However, I'd recommend talking to your replater rather than relying on me. . .

Having said that, I’m sold on the brass and copper look, although brass does tarnish with use.
 
Thank you. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Like I said, there's still some pitting in the top plate that I just couldn't see until it got shiny. I'm probably going to leave it there, to be honest. No point pretending it's a new razor.

I'd be interested to see how the OP's re-plate turns out - I'm guessing it's in silver. I don't know why, but I've seen very, very few silver NEW razors.
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I followed your advice and gave the razor a good soak in white vinegar followed by a long soak it in hot soapy water. I then proceeded to scrub it with an old toothbrush and the verdigris came right off! I had to repeat the process a couple of times since the verdigris between the razor comb teeth was somewhat stubborn.

Anyway, I think I got it all and after the cleaning and a quick polish, the razor actually doesn't look so bad... but I'm going to have it nickel-plated anyway.

Thanks for the advice and I'll post a few pics before/after/after+replated when I get the razor back from the replating shop!

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BTW, "Scrubbing Bubbles" is just one particular brand of foaming bathroom cleanser. You can find similar products pretty much anywhere in the world under different local brands.
 
Posted a couple photos to show the difference...Amazing what a bit of know-how and a bit of elbow grease will do!
 
I have restored and re-plated a couple of these. A good plater will thoroughly clean and strip the metal finish before re-plating. Scrubbing Bubbles and/or Maas polish and a toothbrush will usually get any green brass/copper corrosion off. Nickel plating is good, but you can also re-plate in gold which is how this razor came originally. I have had nickel plating done for $20, and gold for $35.
 
Xman - please share pictures, and any advice about the process, once you've had it replated.

From what I've read, there were very few silver NEWs made, and they go for something of a premium (well, compared to gold ones, anyway). It would be an interesting project.
 
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