I recently acquired a few vintage Gillette open combs and also one Valet Auto Strop from eBay. For my 1960's - 1970's era Gillette TTO razors, I have used Scrubbing Bubbles with great success. I was just wondering if Scrubbing Bubbles are also ok to use on the older gold tone razors? These razors were made in the 1920's and 1930's. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
The gold plating on most old razors is very thin and not very durable. I would not use scrubbing bubbles nor any regular metal polish as it may reduce what finish exists. Always better to going easy rather then going heavy & regretting the harmed finish. I've ruined more gold razor finishes trying to make them look new....
Probably dish soap hot water and toothbrush safest bet. If metal is pitted (eg on head) you can polish that part down to brass to get it to shine again - not same color as plate but looks better than corrosion and pitting IMHO . Just used scrubbing bubbles on an old gold GEM and it worked very well on the handle and interior of head. Ended up polishing exterior of head but turned up well...
Okay, here's what I did that seemed to work well on the gold razors I have cleaned & spiffed up: • an initial brief coating of scrubbing bubbles ( I know, I know —I said NO scrubbing bubbles—but I'm talking about a brief disinfecting and immediate rinse off and mild rubbing with a soft cloth. • Use an old SOFT toothbrush and some toothpaste. Make a smooth paste by adding water and GENTLY scrub area of tarnish & discoloration. Gold finishes are quite thin and if you use a heavy had, kiss the gold good-bye! • I finish with a light coating of Johnson Paste wax applied with a microfiber cloth to bring a sheen to the gold without negatively impacting the finish. This razor was horribly tarnished (like dull brass in parts), but responded well to the above treatment. You can see the typical areas where gold tends to wear (handle, the dial)... but the gold finish that remains came out pretty nice…
@samkirchner found himself a nice gold Aristocrat. Here's some help if it needs a cleaning. Didn't look like it from the pictures. And who knows, this might benefit someone else. Not as old as some others I've brought back from the dead, but ya take what ya can get ya know.
^^ thy, i´ve clean yesterday with ultrashall and it looks like new . Another cleaning i don´t need, i put in my vitrine
