Thread: Cell-rot and pitting on razors awaiting restoration

I've got a pair of Genco Gold Seals that need new scales eventually, but while I'm getting my act together I'm concerned that just letting them sit in their current condition may cause further pitting to the blades. Here's a shot of the problem:


The corrosion is limited to the areas around the pivot-holes; the rest of the blades are in terrific shape. I'm not interested in trying to salvage the existing scales.

So until I find a restorer to make some snazzy new scales for these razors, should I remove the scales and sand the corrosion off? Unpin and leave them as-is? Leave town and forget any of this ever happened?

Looks like gold wash to me

No, it's rust under the scales. Outside of the scales is the gold wash. Rust under amber plastic is kind of hard to get to show up in a picture.

Is the rust only at the pivot?

Hard to tell from the pix but I'm not sure that is cell rot. If you're dead set on replacing the scales it really doesn't matter. Who ever had those razors in their long life may have been careless in drying them at the pivot. Accumulated moisture/grunge may be the source of the corrosion. If that is the case dental floss, Q-tips hammered flat on the end to fit into the scales, and a soft tooth brush with metal polish might be a fix. I would start with Scrubbing Bubbles and proceed from there. You'll lose any gold wash with metal polish but that might be all you need.

As J says,maybe not cell rot as I do not think they are celluloid scales,I think they are plastic.
Generate some heat on them by rubbing with a cloth,do you get a champhor like odor?

I think if you lightly oil the pivot and blades you will stop any further deterioration until you get them restored.

Yep. My mistake here is I compressed the photo down to the point where the gold wash looks like rust and the pivot rust doesn't show very well. At 18 megapixels, everything is pretty clear, at 39K, not so much. Next up, photos of these same razors taken from half a mile away, lens cap on, camera held backwards, thumb on lens.

Well, I guess I've answered my own question. Curiosity got the better of me and I took the scales off the worst-looking of the pair. I can confirm celluloid, as evidenced by the scent of camphor and the enthusiastic combustibility of the scales.

The news from inside is better than expected. The brass washers took one for the team, as they were the site of most of the corrosion. On the blade itself, the light rust around the pivot hole cleaned up nicely. I've started sanding the blade to get rid of the little scratches and marks, and it looks like it's going to turn out quite nice. By the time I finish the sanding, it's likely I'll have talked myself into getting some scales and trying to pin the thing together myself, a rabbit-hole I'd hoped to avoid falling into.

When you get ready to pin the new scales.PM me.am just down the road from menlo.Be happy to help out if need be.