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How do you clean and prepare your "new" used razors?

alfonzo

alfonzo

Member
So I recently posted about winning a Gillette Adjustable, and when it arrived on my desk I have found that the previous owner didn't clean it before shipping, short of rinsing it under the tap it seems. It's all still really gunky with that white powdery film over and in the barn doors and around the base of the head.

My other old razor I received had already received a full clean and sterilisation before I received it, so I never really stressed over it - but I want to give this one a thorough clean out.

What tips and tricks have people got for cleaning their new old razors? I've heard of barbasol I think it is, but I'm not sure where I get some in AU (and more specifically, Brisbane?)

Cheers guys.
 
Antique razors get the Scrubbing Bubbles treatment rather then boiling them to sanitize. The Scrubbing Bubbles will sanitize them. I follow up by using Q Tips to get into those hard to reach area to remove grime and dirt. Finally I usually will finish with a polishing. I try to avoid loss cause razors that really need to be taken apart and re-plated.
 
Scrubbing bubbles and barbasol isn't sold in Aus.

I haven't bought any vintage razors, so not sure what comparable products for cleaning would be.
 
I just use a bit of household soap and any old brush and something niftier (Q-tips) to get in harder spots. Other than that a bit of shaving soap/cream on my face, lather it up and run the razor over my face with a blade in it! I'm generally not too fussed about the whole hygiene issue. The razors I got hadn't been used for years. People generally won't sell you a razor they're using you wouldn't think. Just wash the crud out and use it.
 
Hah, been a while since i was here!

What I ended up doing was a blend of stuff here. The hot water in my apartment block here is stupid hot, as in, if you're in the kitchen you can only put the mix-tap thingie on half-half if you want to put your hands under it.

So I put the hot water on full, filled the bathroom sink, and let the razor sit in it for a minute or two. After that, I took an old toothbrush and gave it a good scrub out. Outside, inside the barn doors, in the little intricate areas. Used a Q-tip and got in where the toothbrush wouldn't fit.

So I've set that aside to dry out, next step is I bought a bottle of proper isopropyl alcohol. Found a chemist on Queen Street in the Brissy CBD that sells it in 100ml bottles for $15 odd. Just got to find a mug and let the head sit in that for a few minutes, and that'll do the prep just nicely.

Considering it's a user grade razor I'm not that fussed about it being absolutely perfectly spotless - but this will do enough to put my mind at ease before use.
 
I believe that Scrubbing Bubbles is the same as Showa Powa etc. Seems to work fine for me in removing soap scum, whiskers, verdigris etc. The whole deal with sterilizing razors is a bit over the top for me, a good physical clean with showa powa and a toothbrush plus Pjtor`s special polish (toothpaste) works a treat. A dirty blade may give you a nasty however.
 
Try white vinegar diluted 50% with boiling water and as it cools wipe off the remaining scum. If you want to polish a razor then try rubbing tomato sauce over it you will be surprised as to how shiny this will make it.
 
Toothpaste and an electric toothbrush work really well. Might have to sustitute with Heinz! Welcome Goodfella.
 
Toothpaste is abrasive - it is basically calcium carbonate (aka Jif) and other stuff.

Tomato sauce is a good one. The Lycopene in the tomato is good for shifting all sorts of stains and smells. It's great to use as a tonic for your hair also.

My usual prep on a used razor is soak in hot water, give it a light go with a soft toothbrush, then a vinegar bath and again hit it with a toothbrush.

Isopropyl Alcohol is the final step. Soak overnight. $15 for 100ml is expensive, see if you can find Isocol which is a 64% solution. Relatively cheap from Hardware or even some Supermarkets/Variety (BigW/Kmart).
 
I've had a little experience in this area :D so maybe I should but in here.

  1. I put new acquisitions into a plastic contain I have and spray all over with a relatively mild general purpose cleaner - do NOT use anything which is strongly acidic or alkalie and certainly not anything containing bleach.
  2. Pour in boiling water and walk away until 24 hours later.
  3. Scrub with an old toothbrush and a toothpick in those hard to get areas - allow you to be more precise than a cotton bud/q-tip.
  4. Don't forget to clean inside barrels etc
  5. Repeat above until all surface gunk is gone.
  6. If silver plated - use aluminium foil/baking soda treatment
  7. If not, silver or gold plated or painted - run through the ultrasonic cleaner a few times
  8. Polish if required (toothpaste or other specialist treatment depending upon plating)
  9. Leave in Barbicide dip (can but it on eBay) or alcohol dip. If using Barbicide wash thoroughly afterwards - if you don't it will stick to the surface. If alcohol let it air dry.

That is it
 
Razormonsta said:
Toothpaste is abrasive - it is basically calcium carbonate (aka Jif) and other stuff.........
Click to expand...

True but it has to be one of the kindest metal polishes around. And it doesn't smell of hydrocarbons or other carriers and I haven't noticed it create anything other than a really shiny, clean, nice smelling surface.
 
When I was in Cadets many years ago in Sydney, we used toothpaste to polish the brass on our belts and uniforms.

It is a top cleaner, but after prolonged use there were micro abrasions on the surface of the metal.
 
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