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I recently (w/in 3 months) purchased a new DOVO razor and I have noticed that it is already starting to rust. :confused: I keep it in a dry place, and dry it off when I am done using it, has anyone else had a problem with razors rusting quickly? Or are their any tips for keeping your blades from rusting?
I already have some naval jelly so I was going to give that a shot to remove the current rust, but would like to prevent this from happening again so any pointers would be appreciated.
-Mark
Rust only occurs when metal oxidises with moisture, so perhaps the room in your house where you store it isn't as moisture-free as you think? Either that or the metal on the blade is contaminated?
Make sure it is dry before you put it away and store it in a dry environment. Ensure the inside surfaces of the scales are also dry. Before putting my razor away I rinse the blade in the hottest water my bathroom faucet can produce. Then I wipe it dry on a towel, run a corner of the towel between the scales, and close the razor only enough to cover the edge of the blade as I don't want contact between the blade and scales until I know all the parts are completely dry. The next day I close up the blade if I'm not going to use that razor for the morning's shave. I don't oil the blades of any razors in rotation and have had no issues with corrosion on any of my razors.
Dry is good...:tu
I put a little oil on toilet paper and wipe my razor after every use. I too, have had problems and the only way that I can make sure that it does not happen is to oil it. I did not get rust but the black spots which is the beginning of the process from what I can tell. I use Corrosion-X only because that is what I have handy but I have read that there are better treatments available.
Take Care,
Richard
WhoA!
Hold off on that Naval Jelly. That might be like using an elephant gun to hunt a rabbit.
How bad is the rust exactly? Are we talking a few pin-heads spots? Perhaps dark spots?
These might be water spots. Also, I've noticed that for some reason (be it water hard/softness, shave soap ingredients, metal composition of the blade, etc) I have some razors that develop small brown spots on the blade. I can buff them out, but right after the next shave, or even during, these small spots appear. Over the years I have noticed that they had not appeared when I shaved with the razor at different living locations...so I'm thinking it has something to do with a combination of the issues I listed above.
Another possible issue would be small black/grey spots. These are water spots, from water that was either not wiped away from the last shave, or was between the scales (when you closed the blade it came in contact with these spots).
What ever the case, I would not recomment Naval Jelly to remove the rust. If you have a metal polish (Maas works great, flitz works too), I'd put some on a QTip or tissue and rub off the area. If it's bad enough, I'd then try a dremel, but be careful with that if you are not familiar. It's easy to chip out a blade if you are not careful.
Naval Jelly should be employed for heavy duty rust. Rust that you have scrapped the bulk of it away, and need to get into the deep pitting to take care of...then move on to the Maas polish.
If it's just water stains, you might even be able to get away with a 'poor mans polish' and use a little toothpaste to remove it (toothpaste does have a grit to it...)
Anyway, I'd hold off on extreme measures for now....
Are you able to post a picture of the 'rust'? If you have a digital camera, put it on Macro, shut off the flash and under good lighting take a close up picture of the area and post it here. This would help pin-point the problem/cure a little better.
C utz
I always rinse my razors under the Hot tap after its been running a while,Then I wipe it with a towel & finish off by wiping it with a piece of folded up tiolet tissue.I fold this around the spine & are very careful about the edge of the blade.The blade feels warm to the touch after this .& finally I strop it lightly a few times on the canvas side of my strop.also My Razors are stored away from the miost air of the bathroom . Since iv'e been doing this I've had no problems with rust or my blades loosing thier edge prematurely. Paul
I'm having the same problem. I think Dovo has a Quality Control problem or released a bad batch. If you read all the threads lately you will find a lot of Dovo issues...which is strange because I've always considered them great razors.Quote:
Originally Posted by Morias
In my case I aquired a brand new unopened box Dovo, honed it up, and put it in my rotation. I didn't treat it any different than my other razors but within a couple weeks I started noticing water spots so I hit it with some Flitz. After a little over a month it started showing symptoms of pitting. I don't think the final polish on this razor was done correctly as there is no way it should start pitting after just a month.
With a new Dovo I would suggest oiling it before putting it away...at least every other time. I'm selling mine and looking for an older one.
Any carbon steel razor is subject to rusting if not protected with some sort of rust preventative. I use an Outer's Silicone Gun Cloth impregnated with R.I.G. (rust inhibiting grease). Unfortunately it appears that R.I.G. may be discontinued. A google search didn't reveal any current source for it. Glad I bought a large container. Some forum members favor Camellia oil as a rust preventative. To remove any surface rust I would suggest Semi-Chrome or Flitz.
Check to see if there is any razors in the area of the Dovo razor you are talking about that have celluloid scales....of if the Dovo itself has celluloid scales. If there is any degradation of the celluloid it would cause an accelerated rust/pitting on the blade.Quote:
Originally Posted by AusTexShaver
I've had a dubl duck Satinbaby (clear celluloid scales) break down on me, and take out not only the dubl duck but the razors on either side of it. The rusting looks like a haze pattern of rusting...
C utz
Quote:
Originally Posted by C utz
All my razors are kept in their own separate box. As this razor is less than a month old I don't think scale degradation should be an issue.
There are a number of black spots on it but then there are a few locations of actual rust ranging in size from a pin point, to about the size of the large end of a ball point pen.
I store the razor in the plastic box it came in, in the mirror above my sink. I usually rinse the blade with Hot water while shaving to remove the soap foam and then towel dry it after each pass through the water.
I'll post pictures once I have gotten my digital camera back. I could use my phone, but the quality of picture wouldn't be as good.
Rust can occur within hours on ANY carbon razor.
Clean it, dry it, strop it, oil it.
Or get a stainless!:D
Mori,
Aha!! Putting the razor back into its plastic coffin could be the problem. Any moisture any place on the razor or handle would be trapped within an impermeable confine; rust is almost inevitable. Try storing the well dried razor out of the plastic box and see if the rusting recurs - I bet it won't.
good luck,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morias
Ah! Leave the razor somewhere outside of the bathroom. There is a good chance there is humidity building up. Perhaps a clothes drawer would be better...........
C utz
Like some of the other posters, I rinse mine in hot water and towel the blade dry. I don't let water get on the scales, so I'm lucky there. I leave it open until I'm through, then strop it before closing the blade. I think this helps - maybe some oil or oily dressing from the strop coats the edge of the blade, and the friction and moving it up-and-down may help to dry the final film of moisture. I store it outside of the bathroom, and not in a case. It works for me - I've never needed to coat the blade with anything.
I had just received my new Dovo in the mail last weekend and just yesterday, I inspected my blade after wiping it dry post-shave to find little pin sized/ball-point pen sized brown spots. I just couldn't believe it was that fast. I've only been straight razor shaving for one week and thought I was more careful. I'll have to invest in some protective agents. I keep the blades in the closed position inside my dresser drawer in my room after I've left them open for a bit to dry. I know the last post was in 2008 but are there any current suggestions for products that you experienced shavers use? Much appreciated for the help!Quote:
Originally Posted by AusTexShaver
-Eric
Eric
The best way that I found to keep rust away was to invest in some camellia oil from srd and then store the old razor in an old cigar box. You can buy the oil and the applicator on the site for less than 20 dollars.... I haven't had rust since I started using it
Anyone tried doing the hot hot rinse, then blow drying it with canned air?
Seems that would get any moisture trapped between the scales and the pivot easier that toilet paper etc...
Any unprotected carbon steel can and will eventually rust, different alloys and finishes can show different resistances to rusting.
-If you get any water under the scales, it will probably spot and rust the blade within hours unless removed immediately (alcohol dip, blow drier, canned air).
-Fingerprints and skin oils left on a blade will rust a carbon blade, some people have fingerprints that are more corrosive than others.
-Oil and other coatings probably will not protect a carbon blade that is not first made clean and dry before its application.
I never let water get in the razor pivot area and rinse my blade angled down under running hot water from the tip up to the beginning of the shank. I then wipe it dry with tissue and closely inspect for any residual drops of water, especially in between the scales. I the let the razor cool on a shelf while I clean up the bathroom. When done with the bathroom cleaning, I strop 30 on linen and 60 on unpasted latigo. If I am going to use the razor again within a day or two, I may let it sit in its coffin with the top off or in a pen display box without oiling (outside the bathroom). If there is any question about rusting, I wipe the blades and scales with a Camellia oiled patch. A good firearms protectant or silicon impregnated cloths are good for longer term storage. Razors should be checked and rewiped with oil from time to time, no coating is good forever.
I am never free of anxiety with my pristine carbon blades, especially those having etchings and gold wash. I have a lot less worry with my Friodurs, or my less than pristine vintage carbon blades.
Great! I was doing a little Googling and found that some may use the oil that is used to maintain firearms. I use Hoppe's No. 9 for mine and may use that for my straight razors for now? Thanks again for all of the great advice and tips, gentlemen. I greatly appreciate the help for this newbie!Quote:
Originally Posted by anthogia
- Eric
why buy an applicator?
personally i just use 3-1 oil on razor (will buy better stuff but i have it to hand)
shave,pat dry then oil. i usually shave and dont bother wiping the oil off, this means that water just runs off usually anyway :)
pour it out bottle over side of razors then run finger from spine over edge, then move along and do the same
I have a dovo on the way so very glad to read this thread. I have clipper oil I was planning to use to protect the blade, will that do?
I've been using Vaseline. I mean maybe it's overkill but it's so simple. I bought a tiny travel sized vaseline jar. After I dry the blade off, I strop it and I simply touch my finger tip into the Vaseline jar and stroke the blade with it on both sides. Seems to work fine. Only potential downside is that I have to try a bit harder to take it off prior to my next shave but it hasn't seemed to be a big problem.
When I have had my razors stropped, they came back with vaseline on it. I figure that makes it a safe bet.
Quick comment about the spotting. I too have black spots near the edge of my blade. I have no clue what it is. I have never closed the blade even once as I leave it on a stand with the blade open all the time. I have applied the Vaseline after every shave as I mention above. I have no idea what the spots are or how to get rid of them. I hesitate using metal polish because I suspect they will just come back immediately and aside from the cosmetics, I don't think they are doing any actual damage. It's just a bit ugly...
I have read that Ballistol (a gun cleaner/lube) is also good for protecting razors. Nice thing about it is it is made from natural plant materials. German army used to recommend it for treating battlefield wounds so apparently pretty safe for human skin.Quote:
Originally Posted by wonton118