Thread: restoring a boker with gold etching.....

Hi, I just purchased a Boker razor and it happens to have etching on the blade. My question is can I remove tarnish on the blade without removing this etching or am i S.O.L.? Thank you for your time.

If there's tarnish on the gold then you're hosed. If it's on other parts of the blade then you should be able to use a little Maas or other polisher and work away the tarnish. Any sort of abrasive on the gold is going to take it off.

+1. Any abrasives or metal polish on the gold wash will take it off. You can carefully clean around it, but TBH I'd just hone the razor as it is as long as there is no active rust. A bit of patina looks pretty cool IMO..!

Any chance of some pics?

this one? H. BOKER & CO, KING CUTTER Straight Razor - eBay (item 130395183486 end time May-30-10 08:24:21 PDT)

That one is a perfect example of "leave it the hell alone." Sure you could make it shiny, but you'd lose the King Cutter logo.

Not every razor needs to look like it just came from the factory.

I wouldn't polish that razor. I actually like the look of it tarnished especially considering the heavy toe wear (shows the use is earned).

Originally Posted by Utopian

That one is a perfect example of "leave it the hell alone." Sure you could make it shiny, but you'd lose the King Cutter logo.

Not every razor needs to look like it just came from the factory.

Originally Posted by claytor

I wouldn't polish that razor. I actually like the look of it tarnished especially considering the heavy toe wear (shows the use is earned).

OMG !!! Sacrilege !!!! Heresy!!! I say,,,they all must be mirror finished !!!!!!

Ok it sounded funny in my brain ..

I agree, leave it alone, clean it up if there is no active rust, hone it (have it honed), shave it, and enjoy it...

I occasionally chuck up a round pointed wooden toothpick in a variable speed dremel on low speed, dip the point in MAAS and do some fairly intricate polishing. The toothpick works well by hand also. 2cents......

I'll say about razors what I say about watches. Some guys think they should be left in their native state and if it is a truly collectable and valuable historical piece I agree however in general an ugly razor is just that. I would ask myself would it look better restored or the way it does now but with some gold trim on it.

Just my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by screams1986

Hi, I just purchased a Boker razor and it happens to have etching on the blade. My question is can I remove tarnish on the blade without removing this etching or am i S.O.L.? Thank you for your time.

Anything that removes the tarnish will erode the etching.

A pinch of tissue with two drops of MAAS will brighten it up
with a minimum of abrasion. MAAS on a Q-tip lets you
get more brightness in specific areas that are not etched.

Start with MASS on a Q-tip once or twice a week as you use
it. Eventually you will get enough brightness to catch the eye
and since the Q-tip lets you avoid the etch on balance the blade
will look better without loosing the etch.