Thread: How common of an occurrence is rust?

Hello,

I've lurked for awhile, but have just been reading up on straight razors - I find the more I research something, the better off I am when I take the jump. I have a quick question about the types of steel and rust issues.

I know that rust is more common of an occurrence with carbon steel blades than stainless steel blades. Is the rusting fairly common, though? Also, how does one go about actually removing rust from the blade (I surely don't want to get tetanus). As I'm a college student, the blade will probably be stored in my dorm, away from the shower in the hall. It rarely gets very foggy due to the size of the place. Is rust something I have to worry about? Can I dry my razor on a towel? Basically, what's the proper care for a razor to avoid rust?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions.

-RC

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.

Bob Dylan said "a rolling stone gathers no moss" If you have only one or two razors in the dorm conditions you stated, I don't think you'll run into any problem. Some guys put a light coat of oil on them after use. I have never had to do this living in Arizona. I do keep my "stash", the razors I seldom use lightly coated. Everyday use with stropping will keep your razors rust free. Some of the gents who live in a humid climate might have a different say so.
Good luck with your choice of shave.

I second what Dicestone said. If you are using your razor regularly, you probably won't have any issues. I'm in NV, so it's dry here too. I have a carbon razor that's been in use regularly for 2 years without any rust, just a few water spots here and there. I carefully rinse my razor under hot water after shaving and dry on a clean towel. I keep my razors outside the humid bathroom, which also helps.

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.

Wirebeard is correct, you need to really dry of the razor after use. Hot water will heat the business end and water will vanish before your eyes once you wipe it down. I've purchased razors older than Mccain that did well just sitting in a drawer for 8 or 9 decades or more. Sure they had pitts and crud but so would we under the same conditions.
P.S no ding on mccain he is a good neighbor.

I really can't add too much here. Just to say that iron has an incredible affinity for oxygen so anything with iron in it will begin to rust almost immediately. certain types of steel like stainless and chrome steel are highly rust resistant but they still can rust. With razors the very edge of the blade which you can't see with your eye will begin to develop microscopic rust within minutes of exposure to the air. Its best to keep some oil on a carbon steel razor however if you use the razor everyday or even every few days the stropping process should remove this rust.