Interesting comments. I had thought about using distilled water for making foam, but a decent brush and shaving cream made that unnecessary. However, I never even considered the effect of hard water on the blade/hone.

Wouldn't alcohol be good for the final rinse of the blade? That would dispell any remaining water. I've seen people dip theirs in a glass of (rubbing?) alcohol. I was also wondering if aerosol isopropyl alcohol whould be a good idea, making sure it stayed off the scales of course.