Thread: Blade Spots

Hello!
Being a newbie and after doing some careful research with this site's awesome info, I purchased the Dovo Forestal 5/8 straight edge from Royal Shave. After not even two weeks and a few shaves, I noticed some spots starting to develop on the front/back of the blade. I had been rinsing, stropping and drying before putting it into the case. When questioned by Royal Shave, the support person had never heard of that. After a week, Dovo still has not responded, so Royal Shave has kindly agreed to a full refund. Has anybody heard of this before?
Please see below:


Thanks!
Chuck

They look like rust stains. Some metal polish should clean them right off. it's not unusual. Make sure the razor is dry before you put it up including the edge and the pivot area. Water can collect in the pivot and run out later. Also depending on where you store the razor if there is moisture or high humidity it can cause that. You might want to oil the blade after each use.

Thanks for the quick response.
Any particular metal polish? Brasso?
Any particular oil? Teflon?
The metal polish shouldn't damage the blade?

Does that blade have gold on it? If so, any polish will quickly remove the gold. Teflon is a plastic not an oil.

Splashone, thanks for the info!
I have a Teflon spray; its a lubricant containing Teflon, much like WD-40 but without the petroleum distillates.
What oil do most of you guys use to coat your blade when needed?

Yes teflon is slick stuff so it is a great lubricant but it is not a rust preventative. I use silicone spray. Others use various products made for guns, camellia oil or just wait a few minutes someone will be along to suggest other things.

I had the exact same thing on my new boker king cutter, dark marks. I to was drying the blade after each shave and putting it away, so either I wasn't drying it as well as I thought or the five minutes or so in between finishing shaving and drying was enough to get the dark spots going.

I just polished them off with a dab of autosol . Now I dry the blade as soon as I finish and put a drop of mineral oil on (baby oil) And rub that over the blade and tang before putting it away. Since then I have had no marks appearing.

I really don't think its a fault with the razor, they are after all made from carbon steel and to me the dark marks looked more like patina(a kind of rust I suppose) and is normal for this type of steel if even the slightest bit of moisture is present

Bare carbon steel will eventually rust if left unprotected. The primary causes of rust and stains on carbon steel razors are:
-Blade is not truly dry. Never get water between the scales or especially in the pivot area. If you do, you must get this area dry and protected before storage. A razor can spot and rust begin overnight or within a few hours of becoming wet. Rust may begin on some carbon steels faster than on others. It is heart breaking to put a razor away and then discover rust or stains when opened for its next shave. This is especially true for new and high value blades. If rust gets on gold wash, it is almost impossible to remove without damaging the thin gold wash. Etchings are also easy to damage while trying to polish out stains or rust.
-The salt in perspiration on fingers promotes rust. Any bare carbon steel should be wiped after contact with fingers.
-Storage in a humid or wet environment. High humidity and moisture conditions promote rusting of carbon steel blades. Moisture condenses on almost anything under the very humid bathroom conditions existing during and immediately after a shower. There may also be exposure to mist from the shower. These conditions may not only promote rusting of razors and other metals, but also promote mold growth and possibly set off any nearby smoke detectors.

After shaving, I warm my blade under the hot water faucet and wipe it dry with bathroom tissue or a dry towel. I then set the razor open to dry while I clean up. After cleanup, I strop the razor and then wipe it with a patch or rag loaded or dampened with a protective material. I use camellia oil for short term storage and gun oil for long term storage. Others use silicon impregnated cloths or sleeves. The critical factor is that the razor is truly dry. A hot hair blow drier or canned compressed air may help insure that there is no water between the scales. I rinse any coating off the razor and wipe it before shaving. Do not forget that razors can also get water between the scales while honing.

A very mild abrasive polish like Flitz or Maas may help with the light water staining, but keep it off the gold wash and decorative elements.

HTH

I have a stack of bar micro fiber towels I use for shaving. I take two into the bathroom. One is used to wipe my face, dry my scuttle, wipe off the soap tub and dry the counter. The second one is used only for drying the razor. A corner is slide through the scales and tip at the pivot to dry everything. Then the blade is wiped carefully before 10 laps on the leather to dry the edge. The second towel goes back on the pile for use the next night as the mop up. The first towel goes in the laundry. This seems to be working ok.
I may keep a small oily patch on hand as a quick wipe down when done.
My bathroom dance is still evolving.