I have a vintage Gillette that I've been trying to clean up intermittently over the past week or two. The razor has quite a bit of plate loss as you can see, but I was wondering if the matte film on some spots of the cap was just stubborn soap scum or plate loss as well. I know that the brown specs are just the underlying brass but I'm not sure about the rest of it. The matte film in question is more apparent on the bottom door in this picture: I'd be surprised if it was soap scum because I've given this a few ultrasonic cleanings as well as a few scrubs with dish soap, baking soda, and Scrubbing Bubbles. Believe it or not, the cap actually looked a bit cleaner after these steps but there's no point in trying to polish it up even more if everything in this picture is just plate loss. Thanks for any help.
Soap scum comes off relatively easily. More likely is the deterioration and wear of the plating. Your razor appears to be one of the Super Speeds. Keep in mind your razor is over 50 years old.
I think that's referred to as "Flea Bites" when there's only a little. You got a full blown case there.
If you want to keep it, update it and maybe pass it on in the future, this might be a good candidate for a refinish from one of the GunKote guys. DeltaEchoRazors or Northshore Razors. I've had work done by both and their stuff is legit.
While I haven't had any razors ceramic coated, I have several vape mods with a cerakote finish, and I would recommend going that route, as it would be more likely to fill in the pin holes on the brass where corrosion has eaten away the base metal (than a regular nickel replate).
I would recommend a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush and toothpaste. If you are not satisfied scrub with flitz metal polish. Don't worry, it's very mild. You got an old razor that while serviceable isn't pretty. That's ok. It's still going to be around 100 years from now maybe shaving your grandson. So what to do? Replate? Paint? It's up to you. Just enjoy it for a while Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
You're right, it isn't pretty but it's still my favorite razor. It looks worse in this picture than it does in person. Its appearance hasn't impacted its performance at all. I'm sure that eventually, I will go with the Cerakote refinish that has already been suggested but the razor works well enough for now. I'm a little concerned about corrosion but I take good care of my razors so I shouldn't run into any issues.
