Before and After Cleaning thread

we need a thread going on before and after cleaning pics. to show guys (and myself) what they can do with that razor that may just be a little dirty so they dont have to pay crazy prices for ones that are all shiny. because id be willing to bet if they/I saw some of those razors before hand they wouldnt even want to handle them without a round of shots and some antibiotics much less shave with them. lots of guys and myself are missing out on some good deals because the razor might need a good cleaning. So post your before and after pics and give a little description of what you did to get it all cleaned up.

 

Great idea for a thread! I wish I would have snapped some pics of some of mine before I cleaned them.

 

Good idea! I have some pics that I will upload later of one of the nastiest razors I have picked up, that when cleaned looks amazing!

 

I found this little gem at a local antique store. I didn't know what it was but I bought it anyway!

This is what it looked like when I bought it!

The Razor

...and again.

And after a good cleaning, it revealed its true color!

The cleaned

...and again.

Sorry about the hyperlinks, I have a terrible time figuring out how to insert images.

 

Before:



After:



Dont have a pic of the gem.

I really thought the plating was a goner but it came up on the ss really nicely with only a little brassing on the guard bar, and a slight bit of brassing on the adjustable.

 

Those sure do look purdy now! But how did you get them that way?

 

A soak in a 50 / 50 clr water mix (probably the same as scrubbing bubbles), and I used mothers mag wheel polish. they came up quite well!

 

I noticed Manic's video shows an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. I haven't come anywhere near restoring a really dirty razor, but what I have used is a dilute solution of CLR for a brief soak, toothbrushes, and elbow grease.

 

I have used vinegar/water or tarnx and water, haven't tried the clr yet. I've also seen the ultrasonic jewelry cleaners and wondered how well they work, if there worth the cost and what the cons of them are as far as these razors go, like would they be hard on str8 scales etc.

 

I have an ultra sonic that my wife uses to remove rust from old door locks and hardware. I've tried it on straights and found it will remove a little rust but not enough to make it worth while, YMMV. I find it doesn't do much to soap scummed DE's. Another note on razor scales is that the water is heated on some of the sonic cleaners and heat can discolor some scales.

 

Do you think it would be safe to put a Super Adjustable in an ultrasonic cleaner? I'm concerned about the moving parts and plastic getting damaged.

 

I picked up an ultrasonic, not a cheap one but wow, what a piece of junk, these things do not in my opinion have enough power to clean little lone damage a razor. The commercial heated chemical units clean very well but home units just don't have the power. Next up for testing is clr, tarn-x can be super hard on finish on most de's I have found.

 

I have access to a lab quality sonicator. I would assume that it will be powerful enough to do a decent job, but we'll see. I'm probably going to try it out tomorrow.

 

I've got access to a commercial yamaha chemical ultrasonic i'm going to take for a rip on some of my lower quality de's and see what it does but I have a feeling it's going to strip them to nothing, take a picture of before and after for yours and i'll do the same.