As far as I know, D.E. does not do any re-plating. At least he didn't used to. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I had Scott at HIBCO do 2 razors for me and they were/are perfect. A toggle in 24k gold and a #15 British aristocrat in rhodium. I had great service, the turnaround time was about 10 days. He claims to remove the old plating by reverse electrolysis rather than buffing so as to keep the details. My razors are perfect and I would use him again if I ever do another replate. Really you can't go wrong with this guy.
That is a great razor. I don't think I would replate it myself. Good luck with that. I am looking forward to results.
I have New Deluxe and New Improved razor heads done by Chris. I also have a NEW head done by Razor Emporium before the crazy price increase. It is nice, but no nicer than the work done by Chris at Razor Plate. I liked dealing with Chris. Before that, my last refinishing was polished by Bob at BRW and sent out for plating. Sorry no experience with Hibco.
Received email replies from both Chris at Razorplate as well as HIBCO: From Chris in regards to the photo of the Goodwill that I sent in: "The appearance of plating is predicated by the appearance of the surface upon which the plating is deposited. A matte or satin-finished metal surface will yield a matte plating appearance. For plating to be mirror-like, the surface has to be polished to a mirror-like appearance. So....either finish is possible, but the shiny gold would be much preferred, because; 1) The brass would be prepped and polished, 2) a nickel foundation is plated over the brass and 3) the gold is plated over the nickel foundation. Gillette utilized gold over nickel on the more expensive razors (Aristocrats, Executives and such). The nickel provides better corrosion protection for the brass. It also blocks "copper staining" from leaching-up from the brass into the gold (it takes a long time to occur - but brass is an alloy of copper and zinc). On the Goodwill, Gillette plated a very thin layer of gold directly over the brass - then applied lacquer to protect the thin and basic gold plating. From what I can tell from your photo 01, you are seeing brass. I do not detect any gold plating that is present! If that brass were polished, you could make it quite shiny. If gold were plated directly on the brass - without polishing and prepping the brass - you would have a matte, gold-plated razor. Most want their razors to be shiny and reflective. In that case, the brass would be highly polished to a mirror-like finish - a foundation of bright nickel would be plated over it - then, 24K gold would be plated over the nickel plating. I only plate in 24K gold. I do not even stock 18K or 14K gold. Gillette utilized 22K to 24K gold for their plating. In order to match the Gillette "factory color", 24K is used. 24K gold is 99.99 % pure gold. A complete razor replate in 24K gold is $85. Return shipping is at actual cost of $6.80 for USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box service." Email from Scott at HIBCO: "I’m not sure what you mean by “standard” vs “mirror” re-plating. I’ll go out on a limb and assume the standard plating is when no prep is done to the item prior to plating giving it a shabby look and mirror plating is when the item is properly stripped and polished prior to plating. If I am correct with my assumption I will tell you we only plate after the item has been properly stripped and polished. Standard, or matte plating is used on low-grade parts, like nuts and bolts. It should never be used on collectible items like a vintage razor. I know there are shops offering these services but it only to cut corners or supplement for a lack of experience to produce high quality finishes. If you send us your razor it will be properly stripped of any original plating. Then it will be polished to a mirror finish before receiving new plating. Your razor will look like a high quality piece of jewelry. That said, sometimes there are nicks and age marks too deep to be removed. We will remove all superficial nicks and scratches but we will leave any marks that would require sacrificing original detail. In the end you will have yourself a showpiece." Both most excellent and well thought out replies but I think I've made up my mind (unless sportshaving enters the race).
i just got a razor done like that from a guy over on shave nook called triggerman Done in Duracoat,A tactical shaver!!
Well, I don't want to take anything away from either parties - both were, honestly, great replies - but sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling and one resonated stronger with me.
Thats why i didn't say either, both sounded as if your job was important to them, and both sounded proficient. But one answer hit me better. I dont have to know which, I am sure it will be stunning.
So, I decided on Chris at Razorplate. Got another great email from him and this man really, really seems to both know what he's talking about - and is passionate about it. Email from Chris: "If you look carefully at the surface of the top cap of a Goodwill, you will notice that the brass is not "super-polished". This is to maintain the correct depth of the stamped details that are in the brass. Heavy polishing removes metal. Too much polishing would diminish the "crispness" of the artistic design. We will only want to polish and prep the brass surface just enough to get you a nice, shiny top cap. Additionally, the detailed design on the top of a Goodwill causes the cap to reflect light differently than if it were a totally-smooth contoured surface. When I am finished with it, however, your replate will be very shiny and reflective (like a gold mirror). It will look MUCH better than the razor in your photo 02! The attached photos are not a Goodwill, but are several pics of a Tech that I replated in 24K gold - over a bright nickel foundation - and an Aristocrat that was plated in the same manner. I think you will agree that these razors are "shiny"! I am always happy to answer your questions and explain things to you. I tend to think of RazorPlate as a concierge-level plating business - where each customer is attentively served! I spend a lot of time interacting with my customers. I believe that well-informed customers are typically, happy customers!" I am now slated for a Mid-November re-plate. Can't wait to see how it will come out!! Below are some of the examples of Chris' work with Gold plating:
