Restoring a Super Speed Red Tip

[phill271]

I recently purchased a Red Tip that was in pretty decent shape. The razor itself has just soap scum that needs to be cleaned off but the paint is in excellent condition. Do I need to take any special precautions to keep the paint in excellent condition while still being able to scrub out the rest of the razor? Will boiling the razor to sterilize affect the paint? Thanks!

[Wid]

You might be better asking in the DE section of the forum. Do not boil the razor, use some scrubbing bubbles to clean it. Then get some barbicide to disinfect it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdi...e-Edged-Razors

[Bk124tt]

I have found that soaking it in barbicide for about ten minutes not only disinfects it, but it also removes the soap scum.

[Kentos]

I wouldn't boil a razor. Just a good soaking in hot tap water and some dishsoap should take care of most of the gunk. Scrubbing bubbles works wonders too. For really gunky razors you may need prolonged soaks.

[kirk 988]

you better get a mod to move it to the DE forum you might get more advice on there

[mistercitizen]

Congratulations! A red tip is on my wish list of super speeds to acquire. This week I got a black tip and a regular 40's style super speed myself. Red tips seem to be hard to find with the paint on the tip intact. While I don't think I would ever boil a razor, I doubt that the boiling water would affect the paint at all. There are people here who would know better than I but I've read quite a few guys here say that boiling a razor is not the best idea and is not necessary to sterilize it. I have dispensed boiling hot water on both of the super speeds I got this week in a container with dish soap and let them soak. It was an insulated travel coffee mug with a lid. I put the lid on and let them soak for a good hour or so. The black tips are plastic and it faired just fine with the hot water..... but I did not boil it. There's some good razor sterilization and restoration info here. I think you'll find that nearly all of the methods of cleaning and sterilizing an old, used razor presented in that thread will not damage/affect the paint on your red tip. The only thing can think of that you might want to avoid (and maybe this is sort of understood) would be using any kind of metal polish on the paint on the tip. You can still go to town polishing the rest of the plating on the razor with something like Maas or Flitz.... but just be careful to avoid getting it the polish on the painted tip.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I've got a few vintage gillettes on my way this week as well so I'll be cleaning up a few myself. Got RAD bad. Enjoy your new razor. Don't hesitate to post pictures when you've got it all cleaned up and shiney.

Ben

[phill271]

Thanks for all the info guys. I would appreciate it if a Mod could move this. Ben, I'll check that info out and definitely post some before and after pics (along with the other razors I cleaned today) later this week.

[BBrad]

Assuming that the paint is original, it is fairly rugged and will stand up to the hot water and dish soap cleaning method outlined above. Gentle scrubbing with a toothbrush is also ok. I would, however, be careful using Scrubbing Bubbles on the tip - do not soak the razor in SB. SB will soften paint and dissolve lacquer.

If the tip is a repaint, all bets are off unless you know what type of paint was used.

Congrats on your Red Tip - they are great shavers and have a really great "feel" both in the hand and on the face. Enjoy!!

[Sledgehammer39]

I find that soaking it in warm soapy water, and using a soft bristle toothbrush is all you need.