Hi all, I know this question is probably not often asked. But if you wanted to remove the gold plating from a Gillette how would you do it ? I have a New Long comb with serious plate loss pretty much everywhere and I kinda like the copper/brass bare metal look. Any suggestions ?
Brasso. It's aggressive. Proceed with caution. You might want to consider sealing it somehow afterwards. Word of warning. I am NOT an expert, so hopefully someone with more knowledge will respond as well.
It's very difficult getting into all the nooks and crannies. I tried, and failed, with a long comb. The best results were with abrasive polish and a toothbrush. If you do get it looking the way you want, you will need to lacquer it, asap. They tarnish fast. I ended up getting it nickel plated. Sport Shaving sure does a nice job with the two tone look.
That's why I was asking. Like the others have said, if you aren't replating, you will need to find a way to protect the finish. I've heard some of the more powerful ultrasonic cleaners may help with removing damaged plating. Might be worth looking into, especially for the nooks and crannies. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Oven cleaner will strip gold plating off. You got to keep an eye on it though, as it will darken the brass if left on too long.
Easy Off will not strip gold, but it will take off discolored lacquer. I learned this trick from a well know replater.
Ain't that pretty? Brasso, Mother's, any polish will eventually take off the very thin gold wash on an old Gillette. The problem is keeping it looking like this. Lacquer? Yeah, that works, but will either wear off or discolor over time. Try Deft Clear Wood Finish. It's the quickest, most volatile finish I know of. It's very, very difficult to get brush marks with it on a flat surface. Dipping a freshly polished razor? It'd probably last a year or two.
Maas, Flitz or any mechanical metal polish + some elbow grease will do the trick. I don't like Brasso because it has ammonia. Like other have mentioned it will tarnish very quickly after a couple of shaves and can have a raw copper smell. I haven't tried lacquering a razor yet.
+1 for shellac. The natural polymer is disolved in alcohol; its low viscosity makes it perfect for dipping. Home Depot sells it in cans, clear or amber. You'd use the clear of course.
Some thoughts... A drop of mercury would attact and disolve the gold instantly. It might do the same to the brass, too, though. Gold is one of the least reactive elements so most chemicals will be ineffective. Since the gold was electrodeposited, a better solution might be to reverse the electrolysis process. A plating shop should know. A good antiques jeweler might have some ideas.
I've done plating and reverse plating. Polishing by hand will work just as well. The gold is so thin it will come right off.