How To Clean An Old Gillette Safety Razor

Cleaning vintage condom razors down to the shine

Today we're going to evidence you how to clean vintage double edge razors. We'll use a Gillette "Fatboy" Adjustable rubber razor, a Flare Tip, and a Super Speed as examples - and meet what we can observe underneath. We'll use all sort of methods to strip away the crud.

When you buy vintage Gillette double edge prophylactic razors at flea markets or garage sales, they are often then coated with decades of grime, corrosion, lather scum, and lime, that you lot can't tell what you'll have when the razor is make clean. It's ever heady to detect what sort of treasure you have!

Classic Gillette double border ("DE") safety razors were manufactured in the first function of the 20th Century. They were made in Usa, England, and Canada. These cleaning methods also work on single border safety razors, and on non-Gillette DE razors.

[Photos by Valerie Proctor Davis]

Many of these instructions are for cleaning vintage steel and nickel-plated razors. Cleaning chemicals tin harm plastic, painted, brass-plated, or precious metal-plated razors. Meet notes under various cleaning methods for details.

Starting Out: Grimy Razors

Tools for cleaning vintage safety razors

These are the basic tools we utilise to clean shaving razors. If the razor is just a fiddling dirty, we go straight to the ultrasonic cleaner.

Ultrasonic cleaner
Drinking glass jar (or Barbicide disinfector)
Blow dryer
Old toothbrush
Cotton swabs
Dropper
Toothpicks
Condom or vinyl gloves
Metal tongs

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner - Quiet and Gentle Cleaning

Our little GemOro Ultrasonic Cleaner has lasted well for about a year. It sits conveniently at the back of the counter and holds several Gillette shavers at one time. No matter how make clean a razor looks going in, the h2o will be grey or brown with dirt when it's finished!
The merely downside is that the timer only goes to 480 seconds, so you may need to outset it over a few times.
We utilize tap water with dish detergent or vinegar, but you can as well buy a full-bodied cleaning solution.

Cleaning Materials for Vintage Safety Razors

Nosotros rarely use all these on one razor - but what's needed! There are notes on each pace about what each chemical is appropriate for.

Oven cleaner or foaming bathroom cleaner
Hydrogen peroxide
Nevr-Dull or Brasso
Toothpaste
Barbicide or rubbing alcohol
Mineral oil

Scrub with Bubbles

The Gillette Fatboy is so coated with greasy dirt that we're going to start out by scrubbing it with oven cleaner (you can likewise employ foaming bath cleaner).

Notation: Oven cleaner and foaming bath cleaner are both very strong, then we merely utilize them on very muddied steel or nickel-plated razors. If the razor has a painted handle or tip, be sure to go along information technology covered as the chemicals will remove the paint. This will impairment plastic or brass-plated razors.

Clothing safety or vinyl gloves, and open the windows
Put the razor in a metal bowl or sink
Spray the razor, using metallic tongs to turn it
Let soak for 3 minutes, and then scrub with a toothbrush. Get into the corners inside and underneath the head, and into the base of the handle.
Rinse thoroughly

Peroxide Dip

The Flare Tip and Super Speed double edged razors have less build-up, so we're starting them with a hydrogen peroxide dip. Yous can do this in a glass jar (nosotros're using a Barbicide disinfector, as information technology'due south easy to elevator the razors in and out).

Pour plenty peroxide to comprehend the razors, and lower them in. Let them sit for at to the lowest degree ii hours - y'all'll meet a bubbly cream on them. If it'due south thick, rinse it off and put the razors dorsum in.

When you take the razors out, rinse them thoroughly.

Note: Hydrogen peroxide will lift the pigment off of painted handles, like the Gillette ruby-red-tip and blue-tip, and some blackness handles. If you demand to clean the caput, make sure the handle is out of the peroxide. Peroxide may discolor brass-plated razors.

Disinfect Your DE Razors - Classic Barbers' Dininfectant

The Barbicide Disinfectant Jar has a stainless steel basket to add and remove your razors from Barbicide disinfectant. Nosotros also employ a Barbicide jar for Evapo-Rust, booze or hydrogen peroxide. It eliminates splashing, and keeps you from having to touch the liquid.

You can purchase Barbicide disinfectant to utilise with your jar.

Toothbrush Scrub

Now that the grime is loosened, put the DE razors dorsum in the sink and scrub with an erstwhile toothbrush and toothpaste. Use toothpicks to become dirt out of the grooves, and be sure to scrub within the base of the handle.

Rinse thoroughly.

Ultrasonic Cleaner

If you have a delicate razor - plastic, bakelite, or contumely-finished - e'er skip the chemicals and become straight to the ultrasonic cleaner.

You tin use either cleaning concentrate or water with a little dish detergent ( and possibly a bit of vinegar if the razors accept a whitish deposit that won't come off).

Put the razors in the water and set the timer to 30 minutes. If it won't go that high, you may need to reset it several times.

Even though the razors have been through a lot of scrubbing, when the ultrasonic cycle is over, the water is normally night with removed clay.

If you don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, y'all can boil the razors in h2o with dish detergent or vinegar.

Treat razors plated in precious metals--silver, gold, rhodium, platinum--like jewelry. Don't utilize harsh chemicals or rough scrubbing. Employ jewelry cleaning solutions, cloths, and brushes to preserve the end.

You tin can use a liquid metal polish, like Brasso, or Nevr-Dull, which comes in cotton wool wadding.

Apply smooth to the razors - if using Nevr-Dull, buff with the wadding. Use cotton swabs to buff within the head and underneath, getting into all the corners. Yous can use toothpicks to work wisps of wadding into pocket-size crevices.

Notation: In spite of its name, Brasso tin damage brass. But use it on steel razors.

Evapo-Rust - Removes Rust from Razors

Finishing Up

Run the razors through the ultrasonic cleaner again for a few minutes - metal smooth residue on a razor can sting your skin.

Soak them in a disinfectant, either Barbicide or rubbing booze.

Employ a dropper to put a couple of drops of mineral oil into the end of the handle, and the hole on the inside, nether the centre bar. Open and close the razor several times, then wipe the excess off.

Utilize a blow dryer on lowest setting to dry the inside of the head and within the handle, so it won't start rusting.

Run across the Clean Safe Razors!

Here they are at last, cleaned down to the shine. These turned out not to be perfect razors - they all have blemishes and noticeable wear.

Merely they will brand sturdy daily shavers, and were worth the attempt!

How practise you make clean your razors?

Valerie Proctor Davis (author) from Birmingham, Alabama on September 13, 2022:

@Brite-Ideas, Collectors volition get to any length to shine up their finds!

Barbara Tremblay Cipak from Toronto, Canada on September 12, 2022:

Now that's a procedure! I can honestly say that my boys would purchase new ones, but my husband is a bit of fuss-pot and would probably follow this process!

bearding on August 19, 2022:

Thanks for your efforts hither. I had never heard of Evaporust before...I'm going to try to find that locally.

Ellen Gregory from Connecticut, USA on November 17, 2022:

It looks like a lot of piece of work, but they look really good when they are done.

srsddn lm on November 15, 2022:

I wish I could preserve mine and use the techniques of cleaning suggested by you. Lovely lens.

anonymous on November xiii, 2022:

That is a very well done article. Yous might desire to repost it on The Shave Den and The Shave Nook forums, where it will become much more than visibility than on Squidoo.

Thanks you for that very useful data!

anonymous on November xi, 2022:

Skillful job Valerie. Very informative. I've learned that well-nigh of the time, the ugliest razor will make clean up to be nearly mint condition. Also, dirty ones are e'er cheap to buy because the sellers are disgusted past them.

Valerie Proctor Davis (author) from Birmingham, Alabama on November 11, 2022:

@EEWorkouts: Thanks, I'll have to attempt that!

EEWorkouts on November 07, 2022:

What almost oxiclean? I got a heavily corroded strainer looking new with a skillful long soak. Great lens!

Valerie Proctor Davis (author) from Birmingham, Alabama on Nov 07, 2022:

@Scarlettohairy: Thanks! Information technology was a long day, taking those pictures!

Peggy Hazelwood from Desert Southwest, The statesA. on November 06, 2022:

Wow, that's quite a process, but the results are stellar! Great step by stride instructions. The photos are swell as well!

Source: https://discover.hubpages.com/style/how-to-clean-vintage-safety-razors

Posted by: boyerfrous1999.blogspot.com