Thread: rusting under scales at pivot point

getting a little rust on my new razor, right at the pivot under the scales, can you coat that with a silicone lubricant, 3:1 oil, minereal oil. whats better,as it doesnt seem to dry fast enough in that area. i want to keeo it looking good. if you look closely you can see an orange ring forming thru the scales on the horn, thats the light rusting im getting, will any of those oils/ coatings effect the scales and discolor them. also, how do you post pics here that enlarge when you click on them, im not familar with pic posting on this site

Hi Fishless

Nice looking razor you have there!

I have been pondering on this subject also. I do not have any rust at present that I can see, but my scales are not translucent. I am a guitar player and lubricating open tuners on the instrument poses a problem. If you use oils, they can seep into the wood and cause all sorts of problems with repairs etc. A good method, commonly used on guitar tuners, is to dissolve Vaseline in Naphtha (Zippo or Ronsonol lighter fluid is Naphtha) and use a drop or two in the gears of the tuner. The Naphtha quickly evaporates and leaves behind a *very* thin layer of Vaseline which then provides a very fine lubrication that does not seep and does not pick up grime and dust etc

So, I was wondering if this method could be used to protect the scales pin to blade interface on straights? Maybe doing this a couple times a year would also keep away rust from the area?

What is the word of the wise ones on this forum?

Cheers
Ray

well i put a silcone based fly line dressing (zing) on the area. it dries and leaves a thin coating behind. ive used it on knives in salt water fishing before, will see how it holds up to the soaps

I use the purest form of rubbing alcohol in a dropper bottle. As soon as I'm done shaving I carefully blot the razor and scales with a dry terry towel and then dropper rubbing alcohol onto the pivot then move it in a slight opening/closing motion to work the alcohol in. I use a q-tip to wipe alcohol onto the blade. when I'm done I fan the razor for a few seconds. The alcohol typically cause the pivot to dry faster. The purest form of rubbing alcohol I've found so far is 90% (percent not proof ).

I also have a habit of oiling my razors after each shave. When I'm done with the alcohol I dropper a bit of mineral oil onto the pivot and work it in, then wipe the blade with a q-tip drenched in oil.

If you choose to oil the blade after each shave I'd suggest going very carefully at first until you have a safe pattern down and can wipe the blade lightly in a stropping direction without actually hitting edge. The stropping direction "pushes" oil to the edge without actually touching the edge.

It was a bit slow at first but now it takes me less than 3 minutes to do the entire process, alcohol and mineral oil combined.

If you do only the pivot it will go much faster.

That's my process. Of course I like to wear belt and suspenders both .

Glen F

Keep razor and tang dry before, during and after shaving helps a lot (one of Lynn's tips in his DVD). I used to rinse my blade to get the spent lather off but don't since I watched the DVD.

Rinse carefully while shaving only 1/2 way up the tang. If you do get any lather in the pivot use a pipe cleaner to wipe it out. When done rinse as before. Then wipe with a dry towel. Follow this with a hair dryer on the blade and pivot. Try using un-waxed dental floss to clean out any accumulated discoloration in the pivot.

Monte

Originally Posted by monte6177

. . . Try using un-waxed dental floss to clean out any accumulated discoloration in the pivot.

Now there is a good one! Thanks for the tip!

Rust forms when water is present and water can hide in pivots. I do my final cleaning with rubbing alcohol. Alcohol is used in laboratories to clean after water as it displaces the water and then evaporates. This eliminates mineral deposits that can build up and of course gets rid of the water. You should still dry as much water as possible with tissue first. You get the added advantage of sterilizing the whole affair after using it. You can use oil afterwards and I'm a big believer in that but it can, as you note, affect some scale materials.