Thread: Where do you keep them?

Living in Hawaii where no one has a.c. and the humidity is very high, I find it best to always oil the blades and store them in a drawer. It is definitely a pain to always wash, dry, strop, and oil, but if you live in humid climate better safe then sorry. And deccisant pouches can be misleading as to when they lose their ability to dehumidifey, that's why I trust oil.

If you live in a desert like me (Utah) you can keep them in the bathroom fine. I have done so for years with all of my razors. I shave, I wipe down, and I close then put in a wooden box above the toilet. No problems at all.

Originally Posted by RayClem

Storing in the bathroom is not a good idea. After use, I dry the razor, lightly oil the blade and pivot and then allow it to sit in the open air on a shelf in my bedroom for 24 hours so any moisture on the scales can evaporate. Remember that moisture affects not only the steel blade, but also scales made from natural materials such as celluloid, wood, or horn. Plastic, laminates, and bone are less likely to be affected.

I store my razors in a Plano storage box. The box can go on a shelf or in a drawer. The box I use is:

https://www.amazon.com/Plano-23705-0.../dp/B000E39T5U

It should be available at a local store as well. Look for Plano Prolatch model 3705, 4-16.

It has four fixed compartments and then comes with dividers that can be used for storing smaller items; but for standard size razors, the fixed compartments are perfect. Unfortunately, I have a couple of oversized razors that are too long to fit, so they go in leather sheaths.

In the winter, the air is sufficiently dry in Chicagoland so humidity is not an issue, but in the summer, I may add desiccant packs to the storage box.

FYI, celluloid is a man made material, not natural like wood, horn and bone.

Originally Posted by DoughBoy68

FYI, celluloid is a man made material, not natural like wood, horn and bone.

You are correct that celluloid is a man made material. It is manufactured by reacting natural cellulose with nitric acid or other strong nitrating agent to form a substance know as cellulose nitrate, nitrocellulose, or gun cotton. Then it is mixed with camphor, a natural substance, to act as a plasticizer for the cellulose nitrate.

Because it is derived from natural substances (cellulose and camphor), it behaves very much like natural materials such as horn and ivory. Thus, it was a good way of imitating those natural substances. However, unlike many thermoplastic materials, celluloid, much like its natural counterparts, tends to react to heat, moisture, and oxygen. Thus, celluloid scales need to be protected with the same care that natural scales need to be protected. That is why I included celluloid along with the true natural materials.

Scales made from micarta, G10, acrylic, etc. have much greater mechanical and chemical stability and can tolerate a wider range of environmental conditional.