The Nickel or Rhodium plating as originally applied to Safety Razors from around 1920 until 1980s is pretty durable, but like most things it doesn’t last forever.
Wear from normal use, harsh cleaning chemicals, acids in shaving soap will eventually wear the plating and expose the brass of the razor which corrode, pit and the razor becomes unsightly and difficult to keep sterile.
Replating is a great way to restore a razor to it’s former glory.
If done soon enough, before the brass begins to corrode, after replating (if done properly) the razor will look brand new and indistinguishable from a mint condition original plated example.
Some people frown upon replating and state that a replated razor isn’t original anymore, but for me, it’s careful restoration and a really collectable razor will either not require replating (due to it’s fantastic original condition) or a poor looking example can only be made better by replating. It’s no argument really.
Here’s some pictures of a typical example that’s sorely in need of replating, some razors with the original plating chemically stripped and ready for polishing and a newly replated and polished example.
