Thread: brand new razor rust

i bought a brand new dovo razor and have now shaved with it twice well this morning i shaved and put my razor away after shaving and stroping and now about 4 hours later i look at it and multiple rust spots have already appeared one being on the toe of the spine and a little where the tale meets the scale pins i am at work with it now and have no oil around because someone let me know that helps but all i have is general cleaning supplies windex general cleaning and maybe furniuture cleaner any suggestions for a quick fix now and future practices i also heard shaving with an oil even olive oil will get a closer shave

Originally Posted by jvickdovo

i bought a brand new dovo razor and have now shaved with it twice well this morning i shaved and put my razor away after shaving and stroping and now about 4 hours later i look at it and multiple rust spots have already appeared one being on the toe of the spine and a little where the tale meets the scale pins i am at work with it now and have no oil around because someone let me know that helps but all i have is general cleaning supplies windex general cleaning and maybe furniuture cleaner any suggestions for a quick fix now and future practices i also heard shaving with an oil even olive oil will get a closer shave

I'm no expert, but did you dry it afterwards? I hear stropping after a shave can help dry off any remaining water. And using hot water on the blade also helps.
Please correct me if i'm wrong.

For the rust i'm not sure what to say, i'm sure someone here knows though

Edit: I would stay away from any "quick fix" if you are unsure that it will work. Try looking around on google on how to remove rust from a straight razor, and the wiki might contain some useful information.
Concerning the closer shave, are you not currently using a cream or soap to lather your face ?

you need to make sure that bad boy is completely dry before closing it up and putting it where ever it goes.

This includes getting water out from between the scales.

I usually do 20 linen/20 leather afterwards and a light coat of mineral afterwards also.

The oil probably isnt absolutely necessary, but it makes me feel better.

Carbon Steel wants to rust. It loves to rust. you need to teach it to respect your authority.

Is it actual rust or dark spots?

I leave mine to air overnight after drying & stopping. Not everyone can, if they have kids.
If it's dry now it probably won't get any worse. You can get some polish on it & clean it up. If you do, be careful of the edge, or you'll need stitches!
As for the oil, oil as a preshave is used, but it's not that popular on here at the moment. Some use it though. I will if i see a bargain, but hair conditioner works better for softening & the oil gunks up the blade a bit.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

I leave mine to air overnight after drying.... But hair conditioner works better for softening & the oil gunks up the blade a bit.

+1 HERE

Noxema face wash also does a good job to at softening the beard...

When you're done you should always wipe the razor off with a towel or a piece of toilet paper to dry the edge. After that I leave the razor out for about an hour in my living room, the blade stays open for that part. You can then strop a little if you want, I do sometimes, sometimes I don't.

Mineral oil and such works great for razors you're leaving unused for over a couple of days to prevent rusting. It seems the blade was not dried properly or left open and that's why there is now rusting involved.

I have used Extra virgin olive oil as a lubricant on my touch up pass after my first two main passes and it works very well to get a close shave. I don't use it for my main passes though, only soaps.

Hard to believe that your razor has corroded in just 4 hours, that is not too say that it could not happen, particularly if the water contains lots of minerals. You definitely know your water better than me. I would say that what you are looking at are mineral deposits from the water and your blade is just stained, let's hope that I am right ;-). What I would do to eliminate the stains, even if they are the result of some superficial rusting is to use some metal polish, Mass works pretty well on blades and can be easily found. For long term care of the razor, I would follow the advice already given.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by jvickdovo

i bought a brand new dovo razor and have now shaved with it twice well this morning i shaved and put my razor away after shaving and stroping and now about 4 hours later i look at it and multiple rust spots have already appeared one being on the toe of the spine and a little where the tale meets the scale pins i am at work with it now and have no oil around because someone let me know that helps but all i have is general cleaning supplies windex general cleaning and maybe furniuture cleaner any suggestions for a quick fix now and future practices i also heard shaving with an oil even olive oil will get a closer shave

thanks for all the advice everyone

I get spots on my razor but they aren't rust. probably just water spots and I don't worry about them. Every now and then I'll use some Simichrome and they come right off.

After I shave I usually leave the blade open at least an hour before coating with sterol and putting it away. You can use some of those canned air dusters to blow water out of the scales and pivot areas if your in a pinch for time. If you do just hold the razor very securely.

If you look under a microscope, a freshly honed bevel will show rust within 5 minutes! Not that that is what you are dealing with but steel and water start to interact very quickly.

First, lets deal with the immediate problem. I don't think I'd use windex on the razor at this point. The water is gone now so the windex won't help and the ammonia in it might be problematic. I think the best thing you can do now is to give it a thorough wiping with toilet paper. Try to wipe away the rust spots just with friction for the time being.

To better remove the rust, you should get some Maas, or other metal polish, and a polishing cloth. Using these should eliminate the existing rust.

As others have said, to prevent it in the future, you need to make sure your razor is perfectly dry. Be particular around the pivot pin. Also, try your best when shaving to not get the pivot area wet. This is easier if you try to keep your razor holding hand dry.

If you continue to have problems, you can try doing what I do with every razor after I shave. I rinse the blade with hot water, dry it lightly with a towel or tissue, and then dip it in a 0.5% solution of mineral oil in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol causes the evaporation of all water on the blade and the residual oil leaves a light coating of oil on the blade for protection. My razors are in a damp basement of an old house but I've never had any corrosion issues. Good luck with it.