Thread: proper oil for straight razor

Originally Posted by warpigs421

Anyone ever try that 3 In 1 Household oil that's used around the house for gen'l. purpose tasks (door hinges and what not)?

I can't see that being more caustic than gun oil as some suggested.

3 in 1 oil at least my old can is a darker type of oil, while it most likely would lubricate and protect just fine I would be worried about it leaving possible stains if and when it dried either on the blade or if contacting the scale.

I been using Dovo Sterol same bottle now for over 2 years and it has been working fine, as others mentioned I think any light mineral oil would work fine.

I use nothing since my straight is used often enough. I do good job of cleaning the Straight Razor after using it.

If I was going to let it sit around unused, untouched for 7+ days, then I would oil it.

Pabster

I posted a reply to this but afterwards remembered about Dovo Sterol. It's specifically formulated for straight razors and is a sterile oil (at least at the outset). It's not a sterilizer. It's good stuff.

I dip my razors in a solution of 0.5% mineral oil in isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). The alcohol evaporation eliminates residual water and leaves behind a thin layer of oil.

One thing that get's said very often around here, but I haven't read in this post, is that you should never put anything on a razor that you wouldn't mind getting on your face.

I know it seems really obvious, but there are MANY kinds of oil that would do the job quite well, but not be the best thing to get on your skin.


Also, VERY nice tip from Utopian. I haven't been oiling my razor because it seems like such a pain to have to clean it up before every shave. I'll have to try mixing just a little with some rubbing alcohol and see what it does for me.

As a follow up, I do not clean the oil off of the blade prior to stropping. Because the amount of oil on the bevel is minimal, there is no need to wipe it off. I just strop one or two strokes on leather to remove the oil (and it's good for the leather), then strop on linen, and then strop on leather. I've been doing this for several years, since my shave pit is in an unfinished basement of an old house with the potential for humidity issues in the summers, and have never had rust issues. I do the same thing with a set of razors I've kept in a humid gym locker for four years and again, no rust.