This thread will discuss the processes I use for cleaning and preparing a razor for plating. I try to use chemicals and cleaners available at the hardware store. Stripping existing plating requires special chemicals which must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Stripping is beyond the scope of this discussion. LIMITS and WARNING: The processes used for metal finishing change depending on the base metal. Most vintage razors are copper or brass. However, many are also made from aluminum, zomak (zinc alloy), and other base metals. Metals other than copper and brass are beyond the capabilities of most hobbyists If you don't know the base metal of your razor, stop and figure that out first. If it's not copper or brass leave it to a pro. Initial cleaning: Like most people, the first thing I do is clean the razor with dish soap and a toothbrush. If the nickel plating is intact I'll also use a brass brush. Do not use a brass brush on bare copper or brass. Nickel is harder than brass so the brass brush won't scratch damage nickel. However, a brass brush may damage bare brass and copper. Tumbling: The next thing I do is tumble the razor in stainless steel media similar this kit. I just use dish soap and Lemi Shine and tap water. A couple teaspoons of each in a gallon of water is plenty. If you're getting a sticky residue on the tumbled razor, add more Lemi Shine and run it again. 2 to 4 hours us usually perfect. Be sure to remove the razor from the tumbler as soon as it's finished. Leaving the razor in the soapy water can damage the razor. Polishing: After tumbling I often polish with a drill press mountable polishing wheel and white polishing compound. Avoid using a dremel or similar small polishing tool as the small diameter tools make it easy to polish a divot into the surface. This is much less likely with a larger diameter polishing wheel. After polishing, I use a simple tooth brush, hot water, and dish soap to remove the bulk of the polishing compound. Sonic Cleaning: I use a common sonic cleaner used for cleaning rifle brass. 10 parts hot water and 1 part Simple Green degreaser works very well. I have used near boiling distilled water and near boiling tap water with good results. If you use tap water also use a couple teaspoons of Lemi Shine to prevent hardwater issues. Water Break Test: The razor is ready to move on if it passes a water break test. Basically, spray the razor parts with distilled water. The water should not bead, sheeting off or spreading evenly across the surface. If the part fails the water break test then you need to do more cleaning. Further Degreasing: If you can't get a razor to pass the water break test after sonic cleaning, any number of other degreasers can be used. Brake cleaner, acetone, a higher concentration of Simple Green heated to boiling may work. I've also used a boiling mix of distilled water(300 mL) ammonia (200 mL), TSP (2 teaspoon), and dish soap (2 teaspoons). However, this mixture can damage bare copper or brass if the part is left in the solution too long, 5 to 10 minutes is enough. Since discovering heated Simple Green, 1 part to 10 parts distilled water, I've not used the ammonia bath. Cathodic Electro Cleaning: My favorite elector-cleaning formula uses: 500 mL distilled water 12.5 g sodium carbonate 6 g TSP 6 g Sodium hydroxide 1 - Stainless Steel Anode (+) (a cheap spoon. Not one of hers, it will take on a gray haze.) Heat to 70 C. Razor as Cathode (-). About 5-7 VDC. for 3 minutes. Do this in a well ventilated area. You'll want to use common sense and proper PPE when using this mixture. This solution can cause chemical burns.
