Thread: Carbon Steel Blades, when to worry about stains?

All of my carbon steel blades get little "water spots" after a few uses, no matter how well I clean and dry the blade.
They come off easy enough with a little Nv'r dull or MAAS polish, but I'm curious how anal I should be about polishing the blades.
Is there a way to prevent it? Do you polish them off when ever they appear? ...

I dry my razors using a micro fiber towel. I don't have problems with water spots. The razors not in my shaving rotation get wiped with a tuf cloth. It leaves a nice protective coating on the blades.

Do you have very hard water that builds up calcium deposits on faucets, etc.? I use a dry towel followed by a Kleenex to dry mine (including between the scales) and the wipe with a microfiber cloth (eyeglass cloth) before storing. However, I've had none of what you describe.

I travel for a living so water is not consistent
I rinse the blade after use, dry with a clean towel and then a kleenex, including between the scales. Unless it's a travel day, I leave the razor open for a few hours to assure it is completely dry. I store the travelers in the grey silicon impregnated socks that most the shave shops sell. Those that I leave at home get a coat of razor oil before being put up.
I'll get a micro fiber cloth to carry with me. Maybe, I should just put them up after drying?

Wipe dry after use & carry a little bottle of mineral oil & a Q-Tip with you,,, then coat the razor with mineral oil after use.
I like to use the little "sample" shampoo/conditioner bottles that a hotel gives you,, just dump the contents,,, rinse & fill with mineral oil,,, most of these little bottles are air tight & do well not to leak.

Went through this myself. No matter of drying & stropping helped. Then I start coating with Ballistol oil and no more spots. I think the edge holds up better too. Wipes off easy or quick water rinse. I started oiling my safety & DE razors too and it also seems the edge lasts longer.

Ballistol is worth a try. That stuff is like jb weld and duct (gaffer) tape. Has many uses for firearms, as well, and I've been meaning to pick some up.
Supposed to do a fair job cutting through Cosmoline. I've spent many hours trying to remove that stuff.

Originally Posted by jmercer

Went through this myself. No matter of drying & stropping helped. Then I start coating with Ballistol oil and no more spots. I think the edge holds up better too. Wipes off easy or quick water rinse. I started oiling my safety & DE razors too and it also seems the edge lasts longer.

Yes, it does,,,keeping them oiled solves a lot of problems later.

I always give mine a coat of wax after I clean them. When I store them I wax them and then wrap them in VCI paper (anticorrosion paper) and a pack of silica gel in the plastic container. I live in the boreal rain forest so it is pretty moist here.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I always give mine a coat of wax after I clean them. When I store them I wax them and then wrap them in VCI paper (anticorrosion paper) and a pack of silica gel in the plastic container. I live in the boreal rain forest so it is pretty moist here.

Well maybe 1 of them is just spoiled