Thread: Blemishes on a new razor

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete newbie to the world of straight razor shaving, and tried for the first time with a brand new razor earlier today which I stropped slowly and carefully before use. The shave itself wasn't bad - I started slowly by only shaving my cheeks this time and was pleased with the results. However, as soon as I had finished I noticed that the blade's appearance had altered significantly. It is much duller than before I shaved and some odd rust-coloured blemishes have appeared on the blade (I'm not sure they're rust). There's a picture here:

http://www.geocities.com/soobrickay/dsc00267.jpg

The blemishes are on both sides of the blade, which is made of carbon steel.

I presume this isn't normal, since I haven't seen these kind of blemishes on any razors pictured on this forum and elsewhere, so I'd be really grateful for any thoughts on what they are and what I should do to care for the blade!

Thanks very much,
Soobrickay

What brand of razor is that and how much did you pay for it? I can't make out any tang markings.

Your razor stained - and that's not really a big problem, but if it's not a high quality razor, then the steel is probably not very good. The edge looks like it may have problems, too, especially towards the tip. I wouldn't expect the sort of reflection I'm seeing from a razor with a well-honed edge - but it could just be the lighting, I suppose. Razors are notoriously difficult to photograph well.

Carbon steel will stain, but not usually instantly unless the razor is exposed to some product you may be using that is not ph neutral.

Blood? Peroxide? Bleach?
That does look rough.
John P.

Thanks for your replies, PapaBull and JohnP. Luckily it's not blood, peroxide or bleach, though I was rather taken aback when I first noticed it!

It's a fairly cheap Cyril R. Salter razor which cost £35 - about $70, though I imagine an identical razor might cost less in the States.

I was using some Edwin Jagger sandalwood shaving soap :

http://www.simplyformen.co.uk/index....&productid=127

I don't know whether any of its ingredients are perhaps non-pH neutral....

I've heard of removing stains from stainless steel with vinegar or baking soda - would this be suitable for a razor blade? In the meantime, I presume from what you said, PapaBull, that my razor is still completely safe to use despite the staining.

With regards to the edge, it probably isn't in great shape - having read Christopher Moss's guide to shaving with open razors, I realise now that I need to get mine honed, so will be doing so ASAP.

Cheers,
Soobrickay

It looks like there's a solid coating of soap scum on the razor which may be why it looks dull. Does this come off if you wipe it down with a towel?

The rust-colored blemishes are different, and quite troubling. Generally soap is somewhat alkaline, which does have somewhat of a tendency to etch steel, but also resists rusting (the alkalinity in automotive antifreeze is what keeps the coolant from rusting out the iron engine blocks). So it's very strange to see this sort of actual rust on a razor - usually when something like this happens you get a dark etched area, not red rust. Is this what it looked like immediately after shaving, or is this a few days later?

Also, that edge looks to be in terrible shape after one shave. So it's possible the steel is weak, or the edge was just badly honed.

Looks like some kind of chemical reaction. Is that a thumb/finger print (in the same stained colour) near the tang I can see?

Did it come with a coating of oil? If so, did you clean it off before you started using it? I.e. could it be soap reacting with oil?

If the metal was shiny and now looks like that something is terribly wrong. Also those rust spots could never have formed so quickly. Looking at the razor I would guess it was a well used vintage razor and not in such great shape either. What that looks like to me reminds me of when I stupidly took my mercur Vision DE and tried to clean it by soaking it in clorox liquid bleach for about 20 minutes. It did a fine job of cleaning it and actually looked exactly like your blade does. In that case the nickel plate was eaten and the metal underneath started to corrode in spots.

mparker762 -

You're absolutely right - the soap scum did come off when I wiped it. D'oh! However, the blemishes are still there. And yes, they appeared immediately after shaving, so I doubt they are rust.

majurey -

Yeah, that was a thumb print, though it came off easily along with the soap scum when I wiped the blade clean. Thanks for your suggestion about the blade perhaps being coated with oil - I'm going to contact the manufacturer tomorrow to see if this was the case.

thebigspendur -

The blade is now fairly shiny again, having removed the soap scum. Hopefully the shaving soap I'm using doesn't have a similar composition to Clorox liquid bleach!



Thanks for all your help and suggestions. Since the soap is likely to be slightly alkaline, I'm going to try cleaning the blade with a vinegar solution. I'm also going to get it properly honed before I shave with it again, which should sort out the edge. Despite all this, my enthusiasm for straight razors remains undimmed - I can't wait to have another go! (Unlike the thought of shaving with a Mach 3....)

Originally Posted by soobrickay

Since the soap is likely to be slightly alkaline, I'm going to try cleaning the blade with a vinegar solution.

Woooow, hold there!

Vinegar will rust the blade, and create patina fast!

Now, it looks like you need help with care for carbon blades.

First off, clean the blade (and the scales too) with dish washing soap, the regular mix in water like for washing the dishes... Rinse very well with warm (not hot) water, and wipe dry. Dry the inside of the scales with folded paper tissue, and dry well the pivot area with blow dryer.

Wipe the blade and tang well with pure alcohol, and dry with tissue.

That's it.

Now, after each shave, clean the blade with soapy water with your fingers (carefully), and wipe dry with towel. Watch not to get wet the pivot pin area.

If you take this care for your razor after each shave, it will stay clean and shiny...

In addition, research the forums for blade care...


cheers,
Nenad