WIP: DD Goldedge Replating/Restoration

Warnings
If you attempt this on your own you will be working with hazardous chemicals, electricity and acid. Remember to practice good safety habits like gloves, goggles and to always understand what you are doing prior to attempting it.

Materials
4.5 V 300 mA power source - You can pick one up from radioshack or from Caswellplating.com
Stainless steel wand - Caswellplating.com
2 wand bandages - Caswellplating.com
Nickel and Gold plating solutions - Caswellplating.com
Black Electrical Tape
Battery Acid - Auto parts store
Q-Tips
Gloves
Goggles or Safety glasses
Distilled Water
Dish Soap
Scrubby Sponge

Procedure
1. You will want to de-pin the blade from the scales and clean it up to where you remove the rust/dirt/what have you on the blade. We want the steel exposed so feel free to take off what gold plate is there.

2. Tape off the section of the blade where you want the gold plating to stop.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/...g?v=1213384200

3. Wash the blade using the scrubby sponge and dish soap. We want to remove all the oils from the steel. After you've done this rinse it with the distilled water and DO NOT touch the part you are plating with your hands. If you touch the tang in this instance you will deposit oil on it and it will not plate correctly.

4. Now put on your gloves and safety goggles. We will be dealing with battery acid here after all. You need to pickle the steel using the battery acid. Apply some to a Q-Tip and rub it along all sides of the part we want to plate for 30 seconds per area. The blade may turn a bit black or tarnished looking that's ok.

5. Rinse with distilled water. Rinse your hands for a minute as well.

6. Wrap a wand bandage around the end of the stainless steel plating wand. Pour a little of the nickel solution (green) into a glass cup and microwave it on high for about 15 seconds. We want to heat it up. It will plate faster.

7. Soak bandage wrapped plating wand in the nickel plating solution. Connect the wand to the positive (+) end of the power source and the razor blade to the negative (-) end.

8. Rub the bandaged end over the place where you want to plate. Do not keep the wand stationary too long or it will scotch the plating. Just move it in small circles a few minutes each side. We want to plate the steel with nickel since the gold plating will adhere better to the nickel than the base steel.

9. Once complete remove and wash the wand bandage. Repeat steps 6-8 this time with the gold plating solution.

Finished product
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/...092a74.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/...e0b1fe.jpg?v=0

Now just to find some blue paint.

Nice results! I will try this one day. Thanks for this really cool tutorial! :tu

Very nice. May have to try this. Thanks for taking the time to document this.

WHOA Nelly, ya actually did it great job Aaron and TY for showing us how ya did it!!!!!! :tu

I have enough of the plating solutions for 4 or so more razors if you need it done let me know.

good job aaron

and some blue paint :y
come a long way from ebay

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/...4c38d2.jpg?v=0

Just take a fine brush and paint in the lines. You don't have to be too neat. Once you've filled it in with paint run a wet finger over the top of the tang and buff off any remaining paint residue off with a soft cloth.

Who needs porn when we have this?

Fantastic job.....Looks great.

WOW that looks amazing! Back to its original glory. Always seemed a shame to lose the goldedge to remove the rust. Now we dont have to. :y

Swiftsteel

Found this thread ok. Will keep this in mind to be done with my duck may be. Good post!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AaronX

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/...092a74.jpg?v=0

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Great post! Lovely blade! ACE MacBook! Nice to see more sensible people using Macs! :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mastermute

Nice to see more sensible people using Macs! :p

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Go figure you run into a lot of people using macs here... I think you have to be sort of the creative type to understand the effort we put into these things.

BTW the blue color I matched it to and used is Testors Enamel Dark Blue ($1.39 at Hobby Lobby ;))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AaronX

...you run into a lot of people using macs here... I think you have to be sort of the creative type...

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:thinking:

Awesome!
Got To Try This On My NEXT one! :)

Thanks for the bump chevhead, was well worth a look. Also great job Aaron!

That looks great, especially with the blue paint.

Nice job on the Goldedge, just saw how old the OP is - from 2008.

Heck yeah! A friend and I are thinking about trying it on some spare gold dollars and doing it on my dubl duck when we feel comfortable... I'm really scared to do it, but I think it's going to be a fun chemestry project in the end... May end up having my 13 year old watch and learn about what's happening and how it is doing it... I know it blew my mind

A great thread, and good results. I have ordered the same kit to experiment with. Initially on an old DE I have, maybe a gold dollar or two, then the Ducks, maybe.
I am eager to see how the masking works as I have a few old washed out gold washed blades that this may help on as well.
Thanks again Aaron, 7 years later. Still valid, and appreciated.
:tu

That turned out great! Now I have a project for my time off during thanksgiving:)