D/E razor amatuer restore thread

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by vittocia, Aug 10, 2019.

  1. Rev579

    Rev579 Well-Known Member

    Yes, the 1906 did come in Gold "Plating", though not a wash. It was thicker than the gold was of the 30's and beyond.
    My Smooth handle 102's have a very prominent plating of Gold.
    Both 102 Smooth Handle smaller copy.jpeg

    It is easily as thick as the Triple Plated Silver.
     
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  2. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    It would have had a nickel stike plate applied under the gold. Maybe it wasn't replated. Perhaps the gold just wore off showing the original nickel strike plate. Or more likely it started showing the nickel so someone pollished the rest of the gold off.
     
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  3. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    It came to me by way of The Traveling Box; Round Two. Member @gorgo2 had sent it out for The Service. It's like triple thick plating with more shine than any other nickle plated razor I have.
     
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  4. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    1940s era Gillette Aristocrat as it was pictured on Ebay.

    20191019_173013.jpg

    Both endcaps were missing so I performed a transplant from a 1956 superspeed. Tumbled in stainless steel pins for 10 hours. Hand polished. Sonic cleaned in alkali and soap for 10 min. Hand scrubbed with stainless steel brush, all to get the varnish off. Hand polished and followed standard prep for 8 min nickel bath. Then plated in 18k gold for 45 seconds.

    I'm very happy with the results.

    20191019_170737-800x600.jpg 20191019_170839-800x600.jpg 20191019_171048-600x800.jpg 20191019_170455-800x681.jpg
     
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  5. brit

    brit in a box

    very cool Evan..how did you remove and reattach end caps? i have a similar razor that needs end caps .
     
  6. Rev579

    Rev579 Well-Known Member

    That looks great! Were you able to retain the sharp edges and points?
     
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  7. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    The endcaps are soldered on so you just heat them with a torch (not a flashlight) while gently prying them loose. Then to reinstall, you gently press them in place while heating again. You usually don't need to add any solder.

    If you are careful you can hit the sweet spot where you melt the solder but don't discolor the plating.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     
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  8. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    The knurling is still sharp and edges are still crisp. Stainless steel pins are incredibly gentle and I used primarily chemical cleaning rather than mechanical polishing to remove the varnish and worn plating.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     
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  9. brit

    brit in a box

    thank you Evan .much appreciated..
     
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  10. Rev579

    Rev579 Well-Known Member

    That is one part of re-plating that kills me, again and again. I like the sharp edges and detail. It's a small detail, but it is a detail that ought to be considered.
     
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  11. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    I agree. I had a couple razors professionally replated and was disappointed by corners and edges. If I was trying to make a living at it, I'd starve. I'm sure I spend 3x the time preparing.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     
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  12. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    That’s really nice work. I would love to try my hand at that some day soon. How long does it take to get the hang of replating?
     
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  13. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    Like anything, it depends. You can buy kits which do most of the work for you. However that's not the cheap way to do it. Check out www.riogrande.com if you want to buy tools or kits. You won't save money doing it yourself, but you can spend the time getting the results you want.

    I have a few razors that look factory new. I have others that look horrible and need completely stripped and redone. I just screwed up a Slim today. It's now being tumbled in hopes I can save the nickel plate, which was amazing.

    If you are the kind of guy who loves research and figuring things out you'll do fine. I already have a garage full of tools so I really didn't have to buy that much.
     
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  14. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    Poor donor razor. Sad that this was the worst I had and I buy a lot of $5 or $6 razors.

    The next new member who shows up asking what to buy is going to get this in the mail.

    20191020_190139-800x600.jpg
     
  15. brit

    brit in a box

    very cool.looks like it will shave just fine..
     
  16. MrEE

    MrEE Half Naked Shave Stalker

    I started with this Kindle book. However I spent a lot of time reading forums.

    "Electroplating (Crowood Metalworking Guides)" by Dan Hanson.

    Start reading it for free: http://a.co/i6aOzJx

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     
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  17. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    I’m definitely going to look into doing replating myself. It sounds like fun! Thanks.
     
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