Thread: Naval Jelly and Gold Wash?

Just a quick question. I just bought a little bucket of Naval Jelly, and was wondering if it was safe for use on razors, and especially if it was safe to use around gold wash. Has anyone had any experience using Naval Jelly? Thanks .

Have never used it on a razor, only on extremely rusted tools and parts. Personally I would not true it.

I have not used Naval Jelly on razors. I'd suggest first trying it on a razor that is trash anyway. As for using it or any other strong agent on gold wash, I'd say no. You just look at gold wash the wrong way and it disappears.

Bob

The active ingredient in Naval Jelly is phosphoric acid. Although not as strong as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or hydrochloric acid, it is still an acid and it is corrosive.

Since gold only dissolves in very strong acids like aqua regia (a combination of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), Naval Jelly is not strong enough to dissolve the gold itself. However, if there are any voids in the thin gold coating, the acid might attack the steel underneath causing the gold to flake off. Of course, the acid will destroy the thin edge of the razor and might enlarge any pits in the steel, the degree will depend upon contact time.

Thus, if you do try Naval Jelly, please do so cautiously. Protect your skin and eyes from contact with the acid. Use the product in a well-ventilated area to prevent breathing any fumes.
Limit the contact time between the steel and the acid to minimize corrosion of the steel.

If the razor is stainless steel rather than carbon steel, it will be less subject to corrosion. However, the stainless steel used in razors is not corrosion-proof, only somewhat resistant to corrosion, so you would still need to be careful. Stainless steels that have a high resistance to corrosion are sometimes used to make decorative razor shaped objects, but won't hold an edge as required by a real razor.

After cleaning, rinse thoroughly with water and then neutralize the acid using an alkaline compound such as washing soda(sodium carbonate), ground limestone (calcium carbonate), or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). If you use baking soda, add enough so you no longer observe any release of carbon dioxide bubbles resulting from the reaction between the acid and the alkali. Then rinse and dry the razor. You do not want to leave any acid on the steel surface.

Also, removing the rust you still have the pitting to deal with. Does jelly discolor the steel like some other rust removers?
Scrapping off surface rust with a single edge work razor is a good way to start in some cases.

How bad is the razor that you would consider Navel Jelly?

Never used it on a razor but it is nasty stuff, usually if a razor is rusted and has gold wash, the gold will have to be removed to removing the pitting.

The Active rust is the least of your problems.

Post a pic.

I've tried it on a few, found it a waste of time.
I've found that most razors aren't worth trying to make look like new. That I've come across.

But some pics could tell us what u might be able to do, and still keep the gold intact.

No idea how strong Naval Jelly is but I've used Birchwood Casey's rust & blue remover to deactivate red rust on gold wash. The red rust spots turn black & that's the best you can do tho very light rust will disappear leaving micropits.

I’ve used naval jelly to *etch* razors.

It will remove steel. More likely than not, it will eat right under the gold wash and lift it off. It will also destroy the etch that the gold wash was rubbed into.

I dont have anything that is that bad, I was asking a hypothetical.