Thread: Rinse or wipe blade?

Hi guys,

I'm new to the straight shaving world. I've been cramming as much info on the straight shaving info as I can. I kind of confused as to whether to rinse the blade during the shave, or wipe it and simply rinse it at the end of the shave?

What does everyone do out there? Is rinsing the blade going to create rust and ruin the blade? Am I sounding like an idiot?? (Won't be offended if anyone agrees, its not the first and doubt it will be the last)

My new straight isn't too far away, got the Dovo 5/8 tortoise special.

I shake mine underwater. Just don't hit the edge on anything.

Wiping is probably bad on the off chance you apply pressure horizontally to the edge, throwing it out of whack.

Lather has water in it. Your razor will get wet when you shave. Live with it, and dry it off as soon as you're finished.

Depends on who you ask. You'll probably get a few different answers. I learned from my grandfather and he only wiped so that's what I've always done. My barber both rinsed and wiped, but then again he had a gigantic sink too. My suggestion is to wipe.

A word of caution. Be very careful if you do rinse I've heard a few stories about people pinging the blade on either the sink or the faucet. That can open up a whole new can of worms i.e. damaged / chipped blade.

I think these are good questions AZA. I personally do both, rinse and wipe, each pass. The hot water from the rinse, takes all the shaving cream/soap off the blade. You don't want to leave a residue on the blade of your straight as this can cause rust. The wipe, drys the blade nicely as well. So, I do both. Just be carefully when wiping the razor not to go perpendicular, stay parrellel with the blade. This way you will not mess the edge up, or cut through the towel or cloth and cut your self. Like mentioned earlier do not tap or bang the blade of your straight razor against the faucett or sink basin or anything for that matter. I have a high carbon steel blade on my Dovo Bergischer Lowe and I have not experienced any rust what so ever. I have been rinsing and wiping since day one, for over a year now. Also let the razor rest after a final wipe to air dry before putting it away. Just see what works best for you. Good luck.

I rinse it and wipe it with a towel, edge up, both sides at once.

It's going to get wet. Just make sure it's dry before you put it away.

I don't wipe during a shave. It's too easy to let it run under water...that and I don't want to dirty hand towers with shave cream and stubble. I tried doing it for a while with a piece of toilet paper, but the water cleans the blade off better for me. If there is anything that sticks to the blade, I'll gently wipe it off with a finger, or the palm of my hand in a stropping motion.

I doesn't matter what you do to clean the blade during the shave as long as you do it carefully. I would use some water at the end tho to get all traces of soap off the blade if you choose to only wipe during the shave.

Personally I rinse most of the gunk off the blade after each pass, then wipe it on a dry flannel to get the remainder off. Then make the next pass and repeat..!

As long as you are mindful of the edge you shouldnt have a problem.

EDIT: After the shave I rinse the blade thouroughly (keep the scales dry though) and wipe it on a dry towel. Then I strop 10 canvas and 10/15 leather to make sure the very edge is dry as well. Then I put it in an open box to air for a bit before I stow it.

I rinse the blade when I change hands during the shave. I wipe the blade when I'm done shaving in order to make sure it is dry.

I used to rinse but in an effort to be slightly more eco friendly I don't anymore. Now instead of filling the sink to soak my brush, i fill a coffee mug, and instead of letting the water run, I wipe it. I set the blade spine down on my towel and pinch it with the towel near the tang and drag the razor out slowly. The even pressure doesn't worry me around the edge.

Water won't damage your blade unless you let it sit on there, so you are good to go in that respect. But I have heard a lot of guys post angry threads on here after popping their blade on the edge of the sink or the faucet, so there is risk involved.

Oh, and wiping makes cleanup easier at the end of the shave since you don't have to go crazy trying to get every water molecule off your razor.