Help me with my Feather SS

[Reverend Jim]

I bought some off brand soap scum cleaner to clean my shower and when it didn't work well on the tile I said "well at least I can use it as a replacement for Scrubbing Bubbles to clean my razor!". What a mistake!!!!!!!!! This stuff actually removed some of the plating from my Feather SS! It left some areas looking rusted and ugly. I emailied Razor Emporium and they said that they don't work on Feathers anymore because of "problems". I have already bought a replacement so I am in no rush but I would like to get the razor re-plated for a back-up. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Reverend Jim]

I heard back from Razor Emporium. I had asked them if they knew of any options I had and what the problem with Feather razors was. I got a very nice reply.

At this time I am out of options for you. I wish I knew someone else who could help you. The problems we are having is Razors getting ruined because the metal at the time of production is unknown. They mixed a lot of metal and some of the razors are melting in plating. Not only ruining the razor but also the batch of plating which can cost thousands. I really hope you can find the help your looking for soon. Thank you

They seem to be very nice people.

[brothers]

JIm, realistically, I can think of several things to consider.
How long ago was the razor replated?
Do you feel that you know for sure exactly what caused the problem?
Was the failure really due to the defective nature of the metal the razor's made of?
Was the failure really due to some kind of chemical reaction caused by the chemical you used on it?
Is it worthwhile to take a gamble and pay someone else to replate this razor, and hope it won't happen again?
Is the razor still functional, so you can use it as is, in spite of the cosmetic plating loss?
If this one's not functional, or if you simply don't want to use it any more for cosmetic reasons, do you want to buy another one just like it?
Would it be wise to buy another one and have it plated, and how much would that cost?
Presuming you love the Feather SS and simply cannot live without one, and presuming that you don't want to keep using this one as is, would it be worth it to you to buy a new one and not have it replated?

That's all I can think of. I'm interested in finding out what course of action you eventually decide on. Good luck!

[Reverend Jim]

Oh, I think you misunderstand (more likely I didn't explain well). The razor was never replated. That nice matte finish on the Feather is not stainless steel but some kind of plating that Feather applies. The household cleaner that I put the razor in dissolved some of the plate that came on the razor. After closer inspection I can see that is damaged some of the base metal so it would not be suitable for use or a likely candidate for replating--the razor is a goner. I did buy another Feather because I really like the way it shaves but I must be a bit cautious about how I clean this one.

[brothers]

I did fail to read carefully. Thanks for the clarification.

[Racso_MS]

Clean it, slap a razor blade in it and use it. What other choices do you have. Doesn't make sense to replate it unless you plan on selling it.

Enjoy...

[bernards66]

Oscar, It was 'cleaning it' that caused the problem in the first place ( chuckle ). Hey, Jim's already accepted that's it's a goner and has replaced it with another so there's no point in shaving with this...er....disfigured specimen. It's a word of caution for all of us regarding harsh cleansing agents and razor finishes. I'm real careful what I use on my Gillette #58 because I really don't want to have to try and replace it.
Regards,
Gordon

[The_Metatron]

I'd sandblast it to remove the rest of that plating and have a blasted steel finish.

[brothers]

Since this issue has come up, I have been wondering why Feather's stainless steel razor needs to be plated. It seems that most (actually all) of the stainless straight razors and double edged razors we have seen are simply polished stainless steel. Can anyone put me on the right track?

[Reverend Jim]

I was thinking the same thing Gary.

I have glass bead blaster here at work and I have considered using it on the razor--my only issue would be that if it blasts off the existing plating, at he same time it will be blasting the metal where the plating was already removed by the "chemical peel" and it may eat some of that away. Since it is already a write off I wouldn't have much to loose.

[brothers]

It might turn out even better than before. Let's hope so.

[Squire]

Blasting razors into submission, we are a tough bunch.