Thread: protect your razor with WD 40? also, stropping strategy

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Apply a light -water displacing oil to the blade after each shaving session or apply a product such as Tuff-Glide once every 2-3 weeks to a clean dry razor.

WD = water displacer, so...?

also, i just got ordered this strop: RupRazor - The Filly

i plan on stropping before every shave with the smooth side, but am thinking about applying paste to the coarse side for monthly (weekly?) touch ups (in hopes of this method will allow me to go longer between honings)

Water displacer yes, good lubricant, not really. Besides, are you will to smear that stuff on your face? If you use it on your razors, its residue will be on your face.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Water displacer yes, good lubricant, not really. Besides, are you will to smear that stuff on your face? If you use it on your razors, its residue will be on your face.

ew, good point. i think i'll stick with my original plan of a hot water rinse, followed by a smearing of baby oil (scented mineral oil)...

Firstly whether you even need oil is a variable of climate, location and rotation....

Just for info...
I have well over 50 razors in rotation, I let them sit for extended periods, I rinse and wipe and leave them open for 24 hours before I oil them and store them again....
I have never had a rust issue
I spray WD_40 on a piece of TP and gently wipe down the blade and tang right before I close the razor and store it again..
I actually rinse the blade under hot water and wipe it off before each time I use the razor then I strop the razor then rinse the razor again under hot hot water to warm the blade before I shave...
I would assume you would rinse and wipe the blade before each use regardless of the oil you would use, I don't want Camilla oil or Mineral oil on my strops either...
There are some actual rust tests that have been done and posted on here and the best is not a common use product on the forum it is a gun oil... and rather expensive...

there ya go my 2 cents

After a few years of trying to get WD40 off old firearms and their mechanizms... I will never touch the stuff again, unless I want to ruin something.

I would also be worried about WD40 reacting with scale material, let alone your face, wipeing will not get it all off, it's stubern stuff...

When I was in the army we were told not to use wd40, because it would dry and leave airspace between the film of wd and the metal leaving room for moisture, which as everyone knows will lead to rust.

Rinse the blade under hot water

Wipe dry

Wipe with rust preventive or other oil

Store until tomorrow

Wipe blade to remove most of the oil

Wipe blade with solvent to remove the rest of the oil so you don't saturate your face or the strop with oil remnants

Wipe the blade with alcohol or acetone to remove solvent traces

Strop, shave, repeat above steps.



This seems like a lot of commotion. I wonder what the oldtimers did? It's a good thing that no one has suggested we try brush keeping oil for the lather makers. Hmmm...

I didn't say that

Originally Posted by Bruce

Rinse the blade under hot water

Wipe dry

Wipe with rust preventive or other oil

Store until tomorrow

Wipe blade to remove most of the oil

Wipe blade with solvent to remove the rest of the oil so you don't saturate your face or the strop with oil remnants

Wipe the blade with alcohol or acetone to remove solvent traces

Strop, shave, repeat above steps.



This seems like a lot of commotion. I wonder what the oldtimers did? It's a good thing that no one has suggested we try brush keeping oil for the lather makers. Hmmm...

I didn't say that

hmm, for that "wipe with solvent" step, I was thinking rubbing alcohol until I read the next step.
what kind of solvent are you referring to, if not rubbing alcohol?

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

After a few years of trying to get WD40 off old firearms and their mechanizms... I will never touch the stuff again, unless I want to ruin something.

I would also be worried about WD40 reacting with scale material, let alone your face, wipeing will not get it all off, it's stubern stuff...

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

When I was in the army we were told not to use wd40, because it would dry and leave airspace between the film of wd and the metal leaving room for moisture, which as everyone knows will lead to rust.

If you actually look at real test results done by many of the gun guys you are going to find that WD-40 tests in the very good category above many other oils that claim they are better for anti-rust, it is not recommended for internal lube on gun mechanisms because of the gumming up issues with storage...
As to harming scales, no it doesn't harm any scales that I have used it on, which include everything except oil/wax treated wood like Livi uses.....

I am not promoting anything here, but it does work, and it works well...
as do many other lubes/oils.... You can use anything you want to....
But for pure anti-rust properties there are only one or two gun products that test better Eezox and Break Free clp to be exact....

For the price of a few nails you could do yer own tests with any products you might want.....

Maybe we should do a test for us razor guys instead of relying on the gun guys tests,,,, they don't test Camilla oil or Vaseline or Mineral oil

FWIW - I have both carbon and stainless razors and live on the Florida coast (kind of humid). I just rinse them off with hot water, wipe off the excess and strop a couple of times on my forearm. Leave them open overnight to be sure they're dry and then put them back in one of the cigar boxes for storage. Never seen any rust at all, maybe I'm just lucky