Thread: Razors and rust.

With 1 week, and 2 shaves under my neck (that felt more appropriate than "under my belt"...), I noticed my brand new Dovo was developing rust like a teenager does pimples during my second shave. I nearly stopped my shave as soon as I noticed it, but calmed down before I cut myself.

So I massaged her with the oil that came with my SR and 3" SRD strop and managed to make more than half of what appeared go away. I'm hoping further massages will get rid of this one week rusting.

Was this bottle just mislabeled?

*I'm using my phone (galaxy s3), and never see an option to rotate the photo from the default forum orientation*

I, for some stupid reason, assumed that having only one shaver that was used all the time would keep it from rusting. Don't ask me where that flawed train of thought came from. I also put a drop of the oil in each side of the pivot & gave it several open and closes.

That's another lesson learned. Any thoughts?

Did you dry the razor off after the first use?

I don't think that is oil for the blade.
I do believe it is for the strop to be applied as a finisher.

Get some Mothers Automotive Chrome Polish or Maas Metal Polish. Polish your razor and try no to get the wax directly on the edge of the blade. Always dry your razor after your shave. Don't fold the blade back into the scales until you have dried the inner scales. After drying my S.R. I allow the scales to air dry twenty four hours before folding the blade.

I did attempt to dry it, then stored it, open, under the sink of the bathroom that is never used (I store emergency preparedness items in that bathtub, so no showers). A day or two after the first shave, I closed it and put it in the sack-ups thay I also got with my razor, then put it back under that same sink.

And the crox spray on SRD is a green fluid, from the picture.

All the razors in my weekly shaving rotation are stored in an open air environment. No closed spaces without air circulation. I use a Tuf Cloth and wipe down my other razors not used for daily shaving. I have never experienced a rust problem following this method.

I don't know if it is still the case, but in the past I found that many of the new Dovo's tended to oxidize rather easily. They really needed to be dried thoroughly and kept in a very non-humid environment. Which model are you using.

The Dovos tend to be high carbon and can be prone to rusting if mis-treated. Rather than worrying about drying the blade, it makes a lot more sense to not let the blade get wet in the first place. If you use a sponge or cloth to wipe the lather off, your blade can remain dry. When finished, wipe it dry again and then wipe it with a light oiled cloth.

Also, it can help to store it outside of the bathroom in a lower humidity area. The space under your sink may have poor air circulation.

I store my razors in a humidor, well, dehumidor now. After use, I wipe my razor dry, strop a few times to clean/dry the edge, then place the razor on top of the humidor until the following day. After it has sat out in open air for 24 hours, it goes into the humidor. I don't oil any of my razors, ever. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with doing so, I just don't like oil on my razors and their scales.

That said, I had one razor that did not like to play nice with this routine. It was a Wostenholm pipe razor. I don't know why that particular razor was different, but no amount of drying seemed to prevent oxidation. Eventually I had to take some metal polish to it, and after polishing it the problem went away.

When finished shaving I dry my razor blade and scales with tissues. I then strop and then use a drop or two of SRD razor oil and wipe the blade down with it. if the razor is going to be a month or more before I use it again ( I shave about 2 times a week and have several razors) I use R.I.G. grease on the blade. I then wrap in wax paper from the kitchen and store in the coffin. I know this sounds like over kill but none of my blades rust. If a person has one or 14 dozen I think they should be taken care of. Carbon steel will rust and the proper steps should be taken to prevent this. Drying should be the first thing after shaving the next should be stropping to be sure there is no moisture on the edge and depending on the rotation oiled lightly. Now each to his or her on ( being politically correct) may do things differently. this is just my opinion and everyone has one.