A few questions... Obviously you should not boil plastic. How about gold? I understand you should not polish gold because it is a very thin layer covered by lacquer. Any polish recommend for plastic/bakelite? How about chemicals? Scrubbing bubbles, alcohol, barbicide, marvicide... All safe for gold/plastic/bakelite?
I would also like to know about gold. I have a gold plated Gillette I want to clean and shine and use but I am afraid of the chemicals.
As I know, It's not recommended by guys over here to boil gold-plated razors, because they're covered with thin layer of lacquer and it tend to peel off during the process.
I suspected as much, thanks for confirming. I'm fairly sure I read somewhere that gold razors don't tolerate autoclaves or ultrasonic cleaners very well either. If I recall correctly, gold is fairly inert and would likely not react with any chemical cleaner I might use. However, I have far less confidence in the lacquer coating.
Toothpaste, and a toothbrush, an old one, or a soft bristled brush.... Don't do it more than you have to... For regular cleaning, Scrubbing Bubbles and gold is fine, as well as rubbing alcohol... Never had issues with my injectors and barbicide either...
Really? And you're certain some of them are bakelite? I never did find good answers on bakelite. I'm fairly confident G models and newer would be fine in barbicide. I have confirmation that scrubbing bubbles and a soak in barbicide will not hurt gold razors. Good to know. However, they should never be boiled, scrubbed or polished. I've read that the gold is only a "wash" improperly applied directly to the brass so the bond is not that good to begin... it should have had a nickel coating first, then gold. also the lacquer layer is quite thin intended to protect the gold and provide the shine. Polishing only wears it away. Couple other tidbits: I've read a few posts that claim Alcohol eats bakelite. Oxyclean turns aluminum black.
Are scrubbing bubbles considered a sanitizer? Or just merely a cleaner? Have 2 vintage Gillettes coming off the bay--but don't want to try them out till they're sanitized.
Nope. It's a cleaner. But I suspect it could kill some Better go with true sanitizer after thorough cleaning or better autoclaving.
What about a trip through the microwave for sanitizing? I regularly leave forks and spoons on plates when heating in the microwave--they're fine as long as they don't touch the sides.
that's not the way to go if you're wanting to sanitize via heat. If you really want to sanitize/ sterilize that way then you can use your oven. I forget the exact temps and durations, but you put your all metal razor in the oven at the right temp and let it set for a while. a much faster method would be to mix a bleach solution and dip in in that, or an iodine solution, etc... they're much faster and energy efficient. or... you could just spray it down with scrubbing bubbles or some equivalent and then shave with it.
Alcohol kills Alcohol will remove lacquer, paint, and gold. I have heard a story of a foreign razor going gold into scrubbing bubbles and coming out silver!
I have 2 bakelite injectors, both have been in barbicide and both in rubbing alcohol numerous times, and guess what happened nothing, however over polishing is a sure fire way to kill it... The only plating issue I have seen with barbicide is on the 40's SS, for whatever reason it spots the neck of the handle. I have heard lots of stories myself, I would say that's just what it is, a story. Nice, just don't do it too often, and you should be fine.
