Question about Nickel corrosion and brassing

As I mentioned in another thread, I recently won an auction for a Gillette Red Tip which is either badly corroded or encased in soap scum.

Original image from auction:


The colors are a bit muted in the photo and the tan discolorations are actually almost a Pepto Bismo pink. I gave it a good hot soak which cleaned it up but left the pink areas.

At first, I thought that it might be something like paint, but it has resisted removal with Acetone. So far, the only thing that has made a difference was to polish an affected area with Brasso. This has lessened the affect but not complete resolved it.

At this point, I'm wondering if it could be some sort of corrosion of brassed areas. If so, what would be causing the pink color and, more to the point, how do I neutralize/remove it?

 

I've never done this but in a severe case like yours you may want to try.

 

I had an old septic pencil in the medicine cabinet. It was near a few types of metal on a plastic shelf. I guess they got a little wet. They formed a corrosive mass that seemed to grow. I scoured the whole area, but it stained a blade safe, and some other metal object i had stored there. Even the plastic shelf had whiteish corrosion powder that i had to wipe away a couple times before it quit growing.
I'd guess your razor was left to rot near some corrosive agent and in close proximity to another metal object.
You may have to scour it away with a wire brush and or steel wool.

 

It is hard for me to tell from the photos, but my impression is that the finish has been eaten off. I think the coppery color is the copper plating that you sometimes see in older Gillette razors (I could be wrong). I seem to recall that copper was used as a underlayment to gold tone (but yours looks like nickel). You might want to use the wire brush- and polish-thing, but my thinking is that it will never come back to the nickel sheen that you want unless you get it replated. Replaters/refinishers will remove as much of the old finish as they can (usually bead blasting or some other method), then electroplate or spray finish and bake. Might be a great candidate for a ceramic finish if you are willing to spend the money.

 

On the silo doors it looks like paint, it's a shame that beautiful piece of history was left to die. I hope it sees many new shaves.

 

I think that you are correct and that it may be somewhat worse. I need to post a picture, but the areas where I was able to remove some of the pink have been left a shiny gold (raw brass?) and are bubbled and/or pitted.
I think something really did a number on this one.

 

If it's really bad, maybe remove all of the plating and turn it into a brass razor, just an idea as I'd do it.

 

Flitz metal polish and a toothbrush to remove corrosion, there is plating loss but that's OK, clean it up and shave.

May have been exposed to salt or someone's cleaning supplies under a cabinet, you never know.

 

A germ nut may have soaked it in bleach, looks about right.

 

Yeah, if those areas look like "gold," then that is brass. There is no more nickel there. Pitting is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove or repair. But, it won't affect shave-ability. You can try to keep polishing it out with a buffing wheel and some aggressive rouge, but it probably won't go completely away. A lot of trouble for very little gain. Pitting shows in re-plated razors too. If the pitting is extreme then the a re-plate will not hide it all and sometimes makes it look worse. Neither will GunKote finishes. Though, most people never notice stuff like this. It looks like an interesting Red Tip that has a lot of life left, inspite where it's been. I say give it a good scrubbing to get all of the organic stuff off. Dip it in some hydrocide or barbacide. Then, buff it up with a little Flitz or MAAS and use it.

If you hate the way it looks after and you can't get past the looks, then:
- sell it
- save the pitting and the "patina" -- you can always do to your razors what these guys do to cars
http://www.rodauthority.com/features/editorials-opinions/patina-caring-for-the-evidence-of-previous-neglect/
- re-plate or ceracote

 

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the doors of a SuperSpeed are Red or Yellow Brass?

At this point, I'm thinking that the corrosive agent, whatever it was, did a nice job on the copper in the areas of exposed brass. I think it's stable, though, so I'll probably try a bit more cleaning to make sure I got all the corrosion and give it a go.

To be honest, I'm not sure if it wold be a good replate candidate. The exposed areas on the doors are very uneven, as though the nickel must have bubbled at some point. The question would probably be as to whether enough good metal would be left after grinding and polishing.

As it is, I've only got $6 in it so, while disappointing, it's not that big a deal.

 

My new Word Of The Day: dezincification

 

I believe they are yellow brass with a thin copper plating under the nickel.

 

Which makes a whole lot of sense. If that really is the case, then the pink is probably some remnant of the copper.

The alternative is that the pink is brass which has had some of the zinc leached out of it (i.e., dezincification). That would also explain the pitting.

 

I think that is what you have. I would clean it with metal polish and let it be part brass and part plated, try to remove any peeling plating.

 

I think copper would yield a greenish cast or stain.

 

I initially bid on your Red tip to repair an English Flare I have that it's TTO was destroyed. I saw the severe corrosion, but thought I'd swap the handles with a bit of work.

I'd recommend seeing if Delta Echo could work some magic. If that's not a direction you want to go let me know.

 

Well, I figure that I should post some photos of where I am with this razor. Consider this a PSA for keeping your razors clean and dry.

First, the ubiquitous glamour shot:

It's a bit hard to see, but you can probably see the divot in the upper door. A similar one is visible in the next picture.

And some others...



(The blue residue in the corners is not corrosion, it's polish that I apparently missed wiping off.)

When it arrived, it looked like it might have been covered in pink Play-Doh. After a soak in hot water and Dawn, it was more like someone had dribbled pink house paint on it- Pepto Bismo pink. At this point, I'm not sure if I made things worse by trying some Acetone to remove what I thought was paint. Brasso removed the crusty parts of the pink residue, but left me with the pink metal and obvious erosion in the yellow areas.

My current theory is the same as last evening- dezincification of the underlying brass, probably from storage in a damp area.

The good news is that the basic geometries are solid and it appears to be usable in its current state. I'm not sure about it as a replate or even Gunkote candidate. I will admit, however, that it would be interesting to see what Captain Murphy and Chris at Razorplate would do.

Additional comments welcome...

 

An interesting thread.

I'm no metallurgist but I have to think that something really corrosive got at that Red Tip. Something like a strong bleach (there are many kinds) or a liquid ammonia.

You've done a pretty good good job of getting it into a usable condition though.

 

That razor has character! I would leave it as is and use it!