Thread: Its all about the water...

As most of you would accept, all water is not created equally. I live in Washington, DC, a place with notoriously hard water. Will the hardness of this water have any extra adverse effects on my razor and/or Norton 4k/8k hone? If so, are there any special care instructions that anyone can offer? A buddy of mine suggested that when I eventually hone, I do so with distilled water...seems to make sense, but I wanted an expert opinion.

I Can't imagine how hard it must be that you'd need to hone with distilled water! Does it hurt to wash with?

haha sometimes. but I never drink it. If you're not aware, Washington DC water was only certified as drinkable about 12 years ago, so its pretty bad. it doesn't actually taste clean, it tastes minerally, and leaves a weird aftertaste in the mouth. but I'm more concerned with my razor than my insides lol

Hardness is about the amount of calciumcarbonate in the water. Hardness affects the way soaps work so you;ll need a bit more shaving soap or cream in an area of hard water. With honing your create so much swarf that will enter the pores that I do not think you have to worry about limescale in the pores.

If I recall, swarf is the metal that gets removed from the razor during honing?

Is there any special care for my razor that I'll need to do because of the hardness of the water?

Where we live, I am on a well and I find that the Distilled water works tons better for me than the tap water which goes through the softener, etc.

Lynn

Thanks Lynn! Any tips for blade care when I shave with water from the tap? Will the hard water affect the blade such that I'll need to employ extra care?

Originally Posted by Lynn

Where we live, I am on a well and I find that the Distilled water works tons better for me than the tap water which goes through the softener, etc.

Lynn

Softeners exchange H+ and Na+ for Ca++. Water with a higher salt content (e.g. sea water) accelerates rust.

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.

Originally Posted by Rajagra

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.

Back in grad school, we used deionized / distilled water to give our glassware a final rinse. It kept the hard water spots away. You could do the same with a squeeze bottle of distiled water. Clean your blade in tap water then give it a rinse from the squeeze bottle. Wipe it dry and you're done.

Dave