Thread: Rust on my razor (with pics) Also Thank you

Neatsfoot oil is what i wipe my blades with anytime i don't expect to use it for a day or two. it's good for the strops too. and my boots and shooting etc.

Lanolin is even better, but more of a grease and stinkier.

Window sill is great for condensation. Warm moist air meets cooler glass/air seepage, cooling air has to lose the water vapor. Vapor don't care= not a good place for unprotected ferrous metals.

If i were sharing my bath, no way i'd leave razors in there.

My dove started to corrode after I first got it as well. I used some polish and a q-tip to shine it up a bit and wipe it off with a towel or tissue after every shave. I also tried oil on my razors but that was a tedious process. Now what I do is wipe it off with a dry cloth after every shave, leave it out to dry over night on my desk and then place it in a cigar box case I turned into a razor case (with little dividers) with some silica gel packs to keep moisture out. Ever since then I haven't had any problems. Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by WadePatton

Neatsfoot oil is what i wipe my blades with anytime i don't expect to use it for a day or two. it's good for the strops too. and my boots and shooting etc.

Lanolin is even better, but more of a grease and stinkier.

Window sill is great for condensation. Warm moist air meets cooler glass/air seepage, cooling air has to lose the water vapor. Vapor don't care= not a good place for unprotected ferrous metals.

If i were sharing my bath, no way i'd leave razors in there.

Just to clear up, when I leave my razor by the window to air dry in winter, the dry, moisture free air literally sucks all moisture out of the bathroom, so after 30 minutes its nice and dry - then Tuf-Glide on the pivot area and into a silicone razor sock and into a storage cigar box in another room.

Only took me once to learn that lesson...will try not to mention wiping the blade with Brasso, then a bleach type cleaner, then read somewhere that lemon would remove the rust...hahaha...was a complete panic induced catastrophe...all for one minor filmy white soap stain that just wouldn't seem to come off....

++1 on the previous advice. Never store your straight razor in the bathroom. I keep my razors as well as my strop in my bedroom.

You can purchase some Maas or Semi-Chrome metal polish to remove most of the rust/corrosion pictured on your razor. It will remove some of the etching on your blade, so go slow when performing that operation.

Finally, apply a thin coat of oil to your blade after use as suggested in one of the previous posts. I used Tuff-Glide in the past. I now use Ballistol spray.

Good luck!

I not only dry the razor, I also strop it a good 5-10 passes to get any excess moisture off the blade. Also I would not keep it on the window sill. Too much moisture and condensation.

I take care to never get water between the scales of a carbon steel razor. If I do, I dry the area immediately and use a blast of compressed air or a hair drier to ensure that the pivot is dry and apply WD40.

Normally, I wipe my carbon steel with mineral or camellia oil for short term protection. I use a good firearms protection lubricant for long term storage.

Bathrooms have high humidity in use that can start carbon steel rusting. I heatonly the blade section below the shank under the running hot water, immediately wipe dry, then let it sit to dry on a shelf while I clean up. I then strop 30 linen, 60 latigo leather. If a carbon blade, I wipe with an oily patch and store in a coffin or pen case in my dry bedroom.

Maas on a patch or Q tip may get off early staining. Gold wash will probably not survive any abrasive and etching can be damaged. Significant rust may leave behind pits. It is far better not to let rust get started on carbon steel.

I have had no issues with my Friodur razors, SS is much more forgiving of any lapses in razor care.

I keep my straights in in the top drawer of my bathroom counter. I DO have silica packages scattered throughout the drawer. I have no problem with rust.

After use I dry them thoroughly. I use toilet paper to dry the pivot as much as possible. I oil them lightly with special attention to oil in the pivot.

When stored for longer periods I make sure they are coated in heavy oil.

Yea bleach + stainless is a bad idea... friend ruined a still that way

On my guns if I get a little pitting type rust spot I use a pencil erasor to remote ALL rust and spray the entire damn thing with oil lol damn rust... never tried it on a razor but I imagine it'd work the same, plus it can't hurt it any.

Originally Posted by RezDog

There is also wax that you can put on your blade to help protect it. I keep mine waxed and out of direct moisture as well.

Shaun, is there a certain kind of wax you're using? Just curious...

The majority of my razors are stored on an open rack, unoiled, in a half bath.
My routine is to run the hottest tap water on the blade, heating the blade up enough so that when you shut the water off it causes the water to evaporate (stole that idea from pixelfixed then I strop, and pour rubbing alcohol on the blade (not the scales) to remove any oils left behind, wipe down with a tissues and back in the rack.

Rust removal - Blue magic