Thread: My blade is blotchy!

So, hullo everyone.

Here's my list:



A Philadelphia razor made for the Navy. One of my favorites, picked it up in an antique mall. Clearly already honed because of the marks on the spine. Interestingly enough, I got the package it came in as well. I keep nicking myself with the end.

And here's no. 2:



Dovo's cheapest model. Bought to replace an Art of Shaving Theirs-Issard I thought I had lost; I have it, now. Found it in my drawer with my knives tucked behind a Timber Wolf.

Here's the dilemma.



Look closely: See the black blotches on the left blade? Left there when I soaked it in just nigh of boiling water prior to shaving. The right blade showed the same coloration, but all over. I suspect it to be normal, or an indication of defects/air pockets in the carbon forging of the blade. What's your experiences?

Also, the PA blade's hinge-pin is a little loose; advice on how to get it a little tighter? I'm a metalsmith, but I just started using a razor, so I'm a little cautious as to playing with a blade I don't want to destroy.

You never want to soak a carbon steel blade in any water because it will begin to rust very quickly. I would guess thats your problem. Try some metal polish to get it off.

As far as the pin goes you can try tapping all around on it with a very light hammer like a jewelers hammer or even a spoon. Just be sure to tap very lightly or you could crack the scales. Its more about the number of taps than the pressure used.

Hmmm. Odd, as it was in the water the whole time, then applied to my face... will the discoloration weaken the blade?

I'll try and get better pictures when I get home.

Soaking your Blade in water isn't a good idea. Even storing your razor in an area that is humid will cause discoloring or rust. It doesn't take long for this to happen to your razor either.

Someone gave me a tip a while back that has helped me alot.. Keep a bunch of those little Silicon packets (the packets labeled DO NOT EAT) that come in alot of products made now'a days and place them in the same area as your razors to help absorb any moisture. Weird but it does work..

As TheBigSpendur said in his post, using some Maas or another metal polish should help take those Blotches out of you blade.

I just tried it, and it had no effect. The metal is shinier, definitely, but I can't see any difference in the splotches.

They seem to be just below the surface of the blade. This is really strange.

Carbon steel will over time take on a grey patina unless it is regularly polished. This is oxidation, but not what most people refer to as rust (which is a red to brown discoloration). There are two forms of black iron oxide, ferrous oxide (FeO) and ferrous ferric oxide (Fe3O4). Rust, the red/brown stuff, is ferric oxide (Fe2O3).

Ferrous ferric oxide typically forms when iron oxidizes under water, so this is probably what you have. In addition, FeO is thermodynamically unstable below 1067 deg F and will disproportionate to iron plus Fe3O4. Ferrous ferric oxide is actually used as an anticorrosion layer for carbon steel. I have a carbon steel folding knife that has had grey blades for 35 years. It's still sharp. I also have a perfectly good Keen Kutter straight razor with a grey blade. The oxide layer is quite thin, and polishes off when ever I strop or hone the blade, sice it is a hollow ground blade, however, it only polishes on the spine and edge bevel.

If you don't like the look, you can polish it off with any metal polish or probably with just a course cotton cloth.

This sounds much more likely, and would also correspond with the other blade being grey. Thank you!

MidGho