Thread: Wiping the Blade

Originally Posted by Chris L

I flirt with potential disaster to the razor and rinse periodically under hot water in the sink. After shaving I flirt with potential disaster to my fingers by pinching a dry towel around the razor's spine and draw the towel from heel to toe slowly and with some pressure. Then I strop on leather 30-35 times and put the razor away.

Chris L

I'm with Chris L. except I don't strop after.
After I wipe the blade I set it aside open to air dry some more while I rinse and dry my brush and scuttle.
Also I don't keep my razors in the bathroom where the humidity might cause problems.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I just wipe it off on the towel I am wearing after the shower, trying to avoid getting the carbon steel wet or banging the blade on the faucet.

Ditto's, except that I shave um, commando, and just use a dry washcloth to wipe the blade.

Originally Posted by freebird

Ditto's, except that I shave um, commando, and just use a dry washcloth to wipe the blade.

You are a braver man than I!

Commando Huh? There's something delightfully serial killer-ish about it, maybe I should give that a shot.

Thanks to all for your comments.

I may be courting disaster but I have taken to carefully wiping the blade with the thumb, obviously avoiding the edge. My reasoning is that it keeps the heel area of the blade free of the running water of a rinse. My thumb is immediately wiped against a smallish facecloth draped over the sink, so my thumb stays dry to keep the razor in an overall dry condition and a good grip on the tang. The risk is no more than that of cutting the face and I have found that it gives a little psychological reminder that care is needed throughout!

Has anybody learned a hard lesson from this technique and am I pushing my luck?

I had the same question today, so thanks for everyone's help. The cammando image makes me cringe...no wiping there please.

Originally Posted by freebird

Ditto's, except that I shave um, commando, and just use a dry washcloth to wipe the blade.

You've seen RichZ's sig, right?

"Be a real Man- Shave Commando"

I'm not a real man, except briefly occasionally by accident.

I've been wiping the blade with a dry washcloth after every few strokes, but I like Moggs' idea and will be giving it a try: wipe the spine between the thumb and index finger, drying the fingers off on a cloth that rests on the sink.

Reading this thread suddenly makes me realise how cavalier I've become with my straights. Sometimes I shave commando and will put he razor on the counter just inches away from my naked manhood. Sometimes I wear only a towel and then I strop/wipe right on my thigh. I also wipe the blade after, but will do so quite quickly these days. I've even swiftly strop/wiped the edge on my thumb.

I think I'll slow down and think about it a little.

X

Originally Posted by deepweeds

You've seen RichZ's sig, right?

"Be a real Man- Shave Commando"

I'm not a real man, except briefly occasionally by accident.

I've been wiping the blade with a dry washcloth after every few strokes, but I like Moggs' idea and will be giving it a try: wipe the spine between the thumb and index finger, drying the fingers off on a cloth that rests on the sink.

Oh yeah, RichZ's the commander of commando, I'm just a buck private.

Originally Posted by Chris L

I flirt with potential disaster to the razor and rinse periodically under hot water in the sink. After shaving I flirt with potential disaster to my fingers by pinching a dry towel around the razor's spine and draw the towel from heel to toe slowly and with some pressure. Then I strop on leather 30-35 times and put the razor away.

Chris L

Me too. Rinse with hot water during the shave and do the towel pinch afterwards. I think this is pretty safe actually and I suspect less likely to do any damage to the edge compared to "stropping" it on a towel. I rotate through 5 to 7 razors so I'll paint a thin coat of WD-40 on the edge and blade before putting it away. WD-40 has a No-Mess Pen with a magic marker chisel tip that's perfect for this.