Blackened razor.

antdad

antdad

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Received one in the post today and it is black all over so I'm assuming it's silver plated, never seen zinc plate go this colour before.

The plating is intact, shall I just get the silver polish on it?

Anybody knock up an electrolytic bath with al foil for cleaning silver jewellery?
 
The electrolytic bath consisting of a pan lined with tinfoil and some powder (can't remember which one) works v well. That's how I cleaned up a single ring a few months ago.

You can also get blackening of aluminium - at least I did when I tried the electrolytic bath with an aluminium handle - and I have never managed to reverse it. Perhaps I should have listened to my chemistry teacher after all!
 
chicken neck said:
The electrolytic bath consisting of a pan lined with tinfoil and some powder (can't remember which one) works v well. That's how I cleaned up a single ring a few months ago.

You can also get blackening of aluminium - at least I did when I tried the electrolytic bath with an aluminium handle - and I have never managed to reverse it. Perhaps I should have listened to my chemistry teacher after all!
Click to expand...

I used bicarbonate of soda, works well
 
Bicarbonate of Soda and foil with boiling water works well. I did that and then used MAAS on a Richwood I got and it came out beautiful. Like you I have never seen the tarnish so black before but silver does tarnish badly, more then Rhodium it seems. I really thought there would have been some remaining blackness or some plate loss hiding under the tarnish but it was perfect.

I had to repeat the baking soda and foil four times so it may not be a one shot deal. Soda is cheap from Tescos or wherever so worth a try.
 
chicken neck said:
The electrolytic bath consisting of a pan lined with tinfoil and some powder (can't remember which one) works v well. That's how I cleaned up a single ring a few months ago.

You can also get blackening of aluminium - at least I did when I tried the electrolytic bath with an aluminium handle - and I have never managed to reverse it. Perhaps I should have listened to my chemistry teacher after all!
Click to expand...

With the aluminium one, boiling it in a vinegar-water solution might help.
 
Audiolab said:
Bicarbonate of Soda and foil with boiling water works well. I did that and then used MAAS on a Richwood I got and it came out beautiful. Like you I have never seen the tarnish so black before but silver does tarnish badly,more then Rhodiu it seems. I really thought there would have been some remaining blackness or some plate loss hiding under the tarnish but it was perfect.

I had to repeat the baking soda and foil four times so it may not be a one shot deal. Soda is cheap from Tescos or wherever so worth a try.
Click to expand...

Are all the silver New Standards silver plated then?
 
Did you smell the stuff (rub it with your finger and smell your finger). Does it smell like sulfur (rotten eggs)? If so, the plating (I'm going out on a limb here and assume that it is highly unlikely that that razor will be solid silver) is definitely silver, and the black/borwn stuff is silver sulfide. Silver polish, or better, silver cleaning solution, will easily take care of that.

If not, it may prove a whole lot harder to remove it -- you may have to resort to mechanical polishing...
 
chicken neck said:
The electrolytic bath consisting of a pan lined with tinfoil and some powder (can't remember which one) works v well. That's how I cleaned up a single ring a few months ago.
Click to expand...

soda - sodium carbonate.

You can also get blackening of aluminium - at least I did when I tried the electrolytic bath with an aluminium handle - and I have never managed to reverse it. Perhaps I should have listened to my chemistry teacher after all!
Click to expand...

Yep, you get eloxed aluminium, a thin, and very firm coat of aluminium oxide. This is one of the ways aluminium gets surface treated, and if done right, it yields an extremely durable coating. This can actually be done at home, with 'primitive' tools -- eloxing is primarily a cottage industry. The structure of the Al oxide coating can be made more or less porous; this is the basis for colored coatings. Certain inks are basically soaked into the coating after which a sealing layer is grown on top of the color coat...
 
Ebay Pic.

ns2eh.jpg


Here's a shot after a rub with some silver polish. There's some black bits left under the base plate, it was almost that black all over.

New Standard 75g Made in 1920 so in pretty good nick and IMHO one of the best shavers.

28489561.jpg
 
antdad said:
Audiolab said:
Bicarbonate of Soda and foil with boiling water works well. I did that and then used MAAS on a Richwood I got and it came out beautiful. Like you I have never seen the tarnish so black before but silver does tarnish badly,more then Rhodiu it seems. I really thought there would have been some remaining blackness or some plate loss hiding under the tarnish but it was perfect.

I had to repeat the baking soda and foil four times so it may not be a one shot deal. Soda is cheap from Tescos or wherever so worth a try.
Click to expand...

Are all the silver New Standards silver plated then?
Click to expand...

Yep I believe the new standards are all silver plated (at least the silver coloured ones are). I was really surprised how well it shined up, I noted it a slightly different shine to the other razors I had so I looked up a few sites and from the collective discussions the accepted version is that they are silver plated. As you know they are all the same new standard razor, Bostonian, Richwood etc were all just names given when sold with a specific case.

I haven't weighed mine but it is a heavy solid lump.
 
antdad said:
Ebay Pic.

Here's a shot after a rub with some silver polish. There's some black bits left under the base plate, it was almost that black all over.

New Standard 75g Made in 1920 so in pretty good nick and IMHO one of the best shavers.

28489561.jpg
Click to expand...

Lovely Tony, looks as if there are no cracks in the handle either.
 
I just received a filthy rocket. Looks like it has never been cleaned for 50 odd years... It has hardened soap like i haver never seen before & some rust under the head & doors & the TTO feels a little stiff. I dont believe there is any thing major wrong with it. Any tips will be appreciated.

This feels like the wrong thread for me to post this in..... :?
 
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