DE Razor Replating

Bechet said:
Oh! devious minds. Tom, wherefrom this distrust that despoils our beauteous lives?

Well said, Jay.
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Beautifully written Shakespearian prose, good Sir.

Thinking about how to answer, I mused around my history of Corporate governance and business controls, delving beneath auditors to find the interesting bits, the aspirational desire to question, and, some might say, keeping questionable company.

However, I feel an equally appropriate answer, which happens to be contextually apt, was the consumption of the Bard of Avon's yarns.
 
Jay,
That's a serious investment in time to set up the library, not to mention the financial outlay for the equipment. From your messages you've obviously decided to buy the necessary equipment.

Since the logo would only be used to restore existing razor cases & linings, as opposed to cashing in selling new ones with the Gillette name, I wouldn't imagine there would be a problem. I can understand Tom's thinking though, in the way of multi-national companies. Common sense doesn't always prevail.

In this instance you'd only be fulfilling a need which the company is unable to satisfy.

Regards,
Chris
 
Hi guys,

The first two razors have now been completed and shipped back to their owners. The first was a beautiful "New" which had lost all of it's plating. It also had some "wear" from the years of dedicated service it had given. It has been restored and replated in shining new jacket of Nickel. This was an absolute plesure to restore, as the original workmanship was superb and it made my job so much easier. It was also a pleasure because the owner was the very first person to ever ask me to replate a razor - which resulted in me creating the website that you have now seen.

Before:

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After:

4628093791.jpg


The second razor was a Cobra - this was one heck of a modern razor to restore as the original manufacturing processes were like nothing that you would ever imagine and very different to the classic methods seen in vintage razors. I got there in the end and I really hope that the owner likes the new look - it is a very distinctive nickel black grip with a gold body and it is VERY striking!

Before:

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After:

4628094333.jpg


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I think it will be a one off and unique finish that no one will ever replicate so look after it ! Unfortunately I won't be taking any more work on Cobras, as to get it looking good took somewhere in the region of 40 + hours and a crazy amount of sleepless nights (and literally an aresenal of chemical warfare and sweat) to get it looking beter again!

Soon to be emerging from the workshop will be an absolutely AMAZING nickel case which looks a million dollars now !

Much appreciation to the owners, as they have kindly agreed to me adding the "before and after" pictures of their treasured items in my newly created "Hall of Fame" on the website. I hope you like the way they have turned out.

Many thanks,

Jay :)

www.razorplating.co.uk
 
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The Cobra Chronicles.
I bought the Cobra a few years ago from someone who had not been kind to it. It looked like it had been kicked around a workshop floor, however was functional and everything lined up ok. I cleaned it up the best I could and it's been my (every other) daily razor for a few years alongside my collection of other DE's and injectors. It looked tatty but gave amazing shaves and I have been flirting with the idea of having it re-finished for a long time.
Along comes Jay.
On the surface it looked like a simple job. Some stripping of the plating and a little tidying here and there, then a re-plate and polish. The trouble is Cobras are not friendly creatures.
Jay agreed to the refurbishment based on photo's and descriptions. I'd seen basic gold plated Cobras on 'The Shave Nook' so wanted something a little different to the norm, so I gave Jay a free reign to do whatever he wanted to it. Several ideas were thrown around and we eventually settled on black nickel grips, gold spine graduating into a rhodium head with the possibility of a cobra logo close to the head. Both Jay and I were very excited at the prospect.
Then the Cobra showed it's teeth.
Firstly establishing what the Cobra is made of was an utter nightmare. Nowhere has the information and no one seemed to know. A lot of searching and testing later Jay found the answer. For anyone who's interested, it's brass base with Nickel and chrome plating. Not however like anything you've seen before. Being manufactured as a side project in a gun factory, the Cobra is made rough, with massively, massively thick plating to cover poor casting and finishing underneath. A quality product it is not. I suspected mine may be a rough prototype as newer Cobras look a little better. Built like a sledgehammer it took Jay - as he mentioned - a huge amount of time, effort, sleepless nights, long days and expensive chemicals to strip the plating off so he could repair and finish the brass underneath before plating.
The Rhodium head idea didn't look great after trying it - nor the logo so a more elegant two tone theme was finally settled on. As you can see it looks like a completely different razor, truly one of a kind and I'd imagine has added to the value considerably.
I highly recommend Jay and his services - his communication has been exemplary all the way through and his enthusiasm never seemed to wane - even when the Cobra was making him tear his hair out. I'll be using him again for one of my other vintage razors once he stops shaking from the Cobra 'experience'.
 
jaycee-uk said:
@Purbeck I'm recovering from the ordeal ! I actually did a vintage razor straight after I finished and it restored my faith in humanity again - it was SO easy in comparison and completed within 3 hours !

Best wishes,

Jay :)

www.razorplating.co.uk
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I'm sure mine won't be the last modern razor you will work on. Once your hair grows back and the night terrors subside, I'm looking forward to seeing what other projects you take on.
 
Dave-the-rave said:
Seems strange that the makers would be so reluctant to disclose the material. Brass isn't a shameful material to use.
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Totally agree Dave .... brass is a fantastic material ! To be fair I don't think there is any question about the makers being reluctant to disclose the material .... I think it's just that from what I understand, there aren't as many of the Cobras out there when compared with the classics - and they are fairly new. For old style razors, most people have discovered what is brass, which sections are pot metal etc simply through watching the razors lose their plating over the years. I guess not many people will have stripped a Cobra down to discover what it is underneath - and there isn't any mention online. Therefore everything was trial and error !

As far as I'm concerned, making a razor from brass is a real selling point - it's a quality material. I do wonder how many of the modern razors made entirely of pot metal will be around in 50 years? I suspect however that the 1920's (and older) brass razors will still be standing up to the test of time!

Hopefully now we've done it, if anyone needs to do it again they will be able to do the task head on and save lots of time!

Have a fab day!

Jay

www.razorplating.co.uk
 
Purbeck said:
I'm sure mine won't be the last modern razor you will work on. Once your hair grows back and the night terrors subside, I'm looking forward to seeing what other projects you take on.
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There's no hair there LOL..... lost it when I was 16 .... so if it comes back then I have definately been getting too many chemicals on my hands. In fairness, I bought that many chemicals for the Cobra that I am seriously worried that the government will think that I am building something dark and sinister in my house! It wasn't me - I didn't do it !!

The voices in my mind are telling me never to touch modern things ever again !! I'm actually getting really into the idea of doing cases now ... I've had an incredible case I've been working on for the last week or so and have enjoyed it so much that it's made me buy a case last night on the 'bay for myself just so I can do another and keep it !!

Jay :)

www.razorplating.co.uk
 
I have deep respect and admiration for the work you did on the @Purbeck 's Cobra.
And that New.. Wow, just wow.

I get the aesthetics and how that enhances the delight
Likewise, I know if my Laurel was smooth on both sides of head it would be so much better...
That said, a question for the house which may not belong in thread (sorry if so): Replating the head and base plate - will doing that enhance the result of the shave?

Still wow.
 
I'm not sure about the smoothness of the head and baseplate and it's affect on the shave. So far the first thing I have done with my own razors has been to restore the razor then shave - just because I could. I've therefore not had to use any of my razors pre-restoration so wouldn't be able to say.

I guess the logic would be that if it's smoother then it would perform better, but I know a lot of the more experienced guys say it makes no difference. How much of that is just the fact that they haven't had the option to restore - I don't know.

If I'm honest, I suspect that my lack of experience would far outweigh any negative impact that the razor surface may contribute ! I can't complain about a difference of a few microns when my technique could throw me out by factors of hundreds of times that !! I would imagine however that if a razor head had lost it's plate entirely, but the bare brass had been polished up then it would be perfectly fine. Conversely, if it was partly gone and pitted to heck, then I would guess it wouldn't be so nice as it would drag more.

I think there are a lot of better experts than me to comment though!

Jay :)

www.razorplating.co.uk
 
Jay,
Fabulous results, well done!

You've found your vocation, you'll certainly be my first port of call when the time comes for replating work.

Regards,
Chris
 
tomj777 said:
I have deep respect and admiration for the work you did on the @Purbeck 's Cobra.
And that New.. Wow, just wow.

I get the aesthetics and how that enhances the delight
Likewise, I know if my Laurel was smooth on both sides of head it would be so much better...
That said, a question for the house which may not belong in thread (sorry if so): Replating the head and base plate - will doing that enhance the result of the shave?

Still wow.
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Gold has natural benefits to the skin. It works as an anti inflammatory and reduces irritation. Whether Razors are on the skin long enough for any benefit is debatable but the science is there and has been for thousands of years. Copper and brass also have proven benefits.
 
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