Thread: Maintaining gold leafing as much as possible?

Today I bought my first straight razor with gold leafing, a NOS Filarmonica #13.
I intend to use it but like to preserve it's state as long as possible.

After using a razor I hand towel dry it before i put it on the shelf.
But can I do this with my gold leafed razor too or will I remove the leafing that way? How delicate is average leafing?

Originally Posted by Joelski78

Today I bought my first straight razor with gold leafing, a NOS Filarmonica #13.
I intend to use it but like to preserve it's state as long as possible.

After using a razor I hand towel dry it before i put it on the shelf.
But can I do this with my gold leafed razor too or will I remove the leafing that way? How delicate is average leafing?

Sold gold leaf will tolerate wiping very well. Keeping it rust free is very important. I would recommend using a preserving oil such as Tuf-glide or Dovo Sterol. These type of preserving oils will stay on the blade for a long time and help keep it looking great. I use both oils on my gold washed razors and they stay perfect.

I have considered using gold leaf on the bow carvings of my boat. In the days of the great sailing ships captain's would use gold leaf on such things as figureheads, stern nameboards, and other carved portions of the ship. In these rough environments the leafing would be expected to last several years.

The gold leaf is incredibly thin and applied with an adhesive. Nominally, it is quite simple to apply. Doing it right though requires more patience than I think I can afford at this time. Hence, the carvings on my boat will have to survive with paint for now.


Based upon that, I would suspect that your gold leaf should stand up quite well provided you just pat it dry rather than giving it a vigorous rubbing.

I see one or more of us is confused. Are we talking about gold "leaf" or gold "wash". I thought you might have had some gold "leaf" on the scales.

I apologize if i used the wrong term "gold leaf" instead of "gold wash ?
I'm not a native speaker and have often to rely on my dictionary which doesn't always give answers to my grammatical/translative questions.

Anyway what I meant is the gold/gold colored part on a some razorblades which to my knowledge is attained by an electrolyze process.

Thank all for your replies

They don't use Gold leaf on razors its all gold wash. If you use the razor enough it will wear off but if you are careful with cleaners and pat the razor dry it should last quite long.