Thread: How common of an occurrence is rust?

Steel rusts.

Carbon steel rusts more than just about any other steel.

Motor cars rust, railway track rust, many bridges rust and these are made from carbon steels.

It is a chemical reaction. if you put steel in the atmosphere unprotected it will rust. Steel will if it comes in contact with water, moisture or humidity, turn to a red rust colour. If left, the rust will erode into the metal leaving an indentation or even a hole. On thin very fine edges of steel, the chemical rusting process can destroy the edge beyond repair very very quickly.

Stainless steel is much less likely to rust than carbon steel.

In your situation, I would recommend buying a stainless steel razor because it will be unlikely to rust as long as you dry it carefully before storing it between uses. It is the reason why they made the stainless straight razor.

Stainless steel will have less of a tendency to rust but can still rust if not maintained properly. Stainless is a bit harder to hone according to some while carbon steel is a bit easier according to some. Carbon steel is more prone to rust. Either can easily be maintained regardless of climate by drying the razor after shaving (toilet tissue or towell) and I like to use the hair dryer to make sure the area around the pivot pin is as dry as possible. Finally, because it is a habit, I wipe down all blades after shaving with a light coating of Camellia oil; this is a light oil that the Japanese have used on Samarai swords and other blades for centuries. Ii got in the habit after finding some light pitting on one of my brand new blades shortly after I started straight shaving.

Stainless resists rust better, but is a harder steel, so sharpening it is more work. Whether, stainless or carbon, proper care is a must. If you use your razors regularly, rust shold not be a problem.

After shaving, rinse in the hottest water possible - this will heat the blade and encourage evaporation.

Wipe down with a dry towel or tissue, paying attention to the pivot and inside the scales (in case you got some water in there)

If you are roatating your blades, after you finsih using a razor in the rotation, coat with Camellia oil or Sterol (a sterile oil used on surgical instruments and available from vendors on SRP)

Store your razors in a safe location. If you are storing them in a box or small drawer, you can through in some of the desicant packs that you get when you buy electronics. They are the small packets of silica that absorb moisture while the electronic device is in storage/transit...the ones that say "DO NOT EAT". (Funny in and of itself..."Hey, I bought a DVD player and look, it came with a snack!")

I would not worry about it too much, unless you live near the ocean. When in doubt, a drop or two of oil lightly coating the blade will never hurt.