A couple of question

Hello gentlemen,

I recently began the whole straight razor thing and i can say that its dangerous!! Got a couple of bad cuts but i dont give up that easily.

Unfortunately Ruprazor didn't ship the strop right so i havent stropped the razor yet and here is the first question.
my razor is getting rusty, not on the tip but around the scales and a couple of spots around the neck. Its a Geneva cutlery and i bought it from the classifieds from a very cool guy. So is this normal and how do i fix it knowing i have nothing more than the basic equipment. Is there any particular procedure i should do after shaving or during to keep it from rusting?
Also when is it time to hone the razor ?

Daniel. G

Razors don't cut people. Take it a little slower and pay attention to what you're doing, especially if you're inexperienced.

I find it hard to imagine Kenrup would have sent the strop the wrong way. Contact him to clear the strop-thing.

If you're getting rust, you most likely left the razor and/or scales wet. Dry it well from everyplace you can reach (including between scales) and leave it out to dry in open position (if possible). You can also try oil the blade a little, if you have humid environment.

I guess Maas/Flitz/other polishing agent would clear those rust, but they also might remove the gold etch.

Make sure after you use your razor that it is completely dry before you store it, that will prevent it from rusting, and if you live in particularly humid area you can try oiling it to keep moisture from sitting on the blade. As for the rust that is already there as long as there is no pitting a little bit of oil and a toothbrush should work to clear away the rust. I had the same problem when first stared and now I take special care to ensure my razor is totally dry after I am done shaving with it and haven't had a problem since.

Read my sig below to avoid nicks and cuts. Following the shave rinse the razor in hot tap water and then wipe dry with a tissue and when you have one give it a light stropping on leather to get micro gunk out of the striations. A rust preventative is an option that I choose to take. Store the razor in a non humid environment when not in use.

SRP Wiki beginner's guide here for a good read. :tu

It's time to hone when it no longer shaves well. It's not smooth or takes too much effort to get a decent shave. Did your razor come to you "shave ready"? How are the shaves, minus cuts?

If you rinse your blade please use steaming hot water so it will evaporate. I do not rinse my blades at all, I wipe them on a towel. No dings on the faucet, no rust on the blade.

Try to keep the pivot area dry - even when you rinse this area doesn't need to get wet. It's hard to dry that really tight area between the tang and the scales.

Careful with Flitz or Maas polishes, they will take off any gold etching or bluing and they will dull the edge if they touch it.

Ursus: i am the problem is that i never though that an accidental ligh tap on my nuckles can cut to the bone... Mistakes happen and when its been a month and strop is not here then i wonder what happens. problem solved yet i still don't have a strop lol.

Perdition: what kind of oil are we talking about, some special razor oil or could olive oil do the job too?

Jimmy: rinse you mean only the blade or the whole thing? Also while shaving should i wipe the blade on cloth rather than rinse it on the tap?


Rickboone: It did and the first shave was quite good then the chin is begging to be super hard to shave so i don't bother since it actually doesn't give me the close shave i want.

nun3sharp: so put the whole razor in hot water including scales?

Bingo: I tried to wipe but since my hands get all wet from doing lather, preshaving cream, several lather applications etc i allways end up getting the razor wet :S

Awesome and thank you all for the advice!

Now that we have covered rust prevention how can i take out the rust i have without polishing agents? is there some home made formula to get rid of it in a fast manner?

Just rinse off the blade, no need for total immersion, then towel dry or use a piece of tissue as Jimmy stated. If you wish to use oil, I would use something not petroleum based, olive would be good, Lynn and others use Camelia.

If you are storing it for a while I would be concerned that natural oils (olive oil) might go bad in someway. Mineral oil maybe?

Sorry to hear about your bad cut. Hopefully you took measures to prevent further accidents.

I wear towel when I shave and dry my hands there continuously. This also improves the grip. If the tang gets wet, dry it too, carefully. It's perfectly possible to rinse the blade without getting the pivot wet - I hold the razor toe down (maybe 60 degree angle from the floor) and bring it spine-first under the faucet, observing how the water flows around the blade. Too fast streaming water just goes everywhere, so I use a small stream.

Hey Daniel! Total newb, but here's my .02.

I find it *much* more likely that the post screwed up, honestly. It's not that hard to send a package, and as long as they have the right address, there's nothing for them to mess up.

The post, on the other hand, is far more fallible and stuff gets lost all the time. I don't know what, if any, sort of tracking RupRazor puts on their packages, but do email them and ask. Double-check the address they have, and if they do have tracking try and find out where that package went.

As others have said, you can try polishing out the rust spots, but it may affect the gold etching. I am unaware of any less abrasive, DIY alternatives. Alternately, you could just leave it be. As long as you are very careful to keep the razor dry, they shouldn't get worse, and if it's not on the edge of the razor it doesn't affect your shave. It's just a cosmetic thing.

Olive oil should be fine, but if you're keeping it as dry as it should be I don't think it would be needed.

What I did when I first used my razor (before immediately rolling the edge and needing to send it to be honed :() was wipe it off, then dip the blade only in water (that way there was no chance of dinging it on a tap, and I could control how much of it got wet), and then dry it very thoroughly with a towel. I also wiped off whatever water got on the scales, and used some tissue paper to dry INSIDE the scales.

My dear DanielG,

As many learned gentlemen on the forum have pointed out, rinse the blade (I rinse mine by holding the razor by the shank) with hot water and dry it. Keep water away from the pivot area and the scales.

I also run a sheet of Cleanex up and down between the scales to further pick up any moisture. Then I strop the razor (15 canvas, 30 leather), apply a light touch of oil and leave the razor partly open for two or three hours before putting it in the rack.

To avoid the cuts, maintain a light touch throughout the shave, be aware of the razor angle, and take your time. Rather than a sprint to the finish line, think of straight razor shaving as a stroll down a path in a lovely park. Preferably, of course, in the company of a stunning woman.

Enjoy the ritual of such traditional shaving. You will be rewarded.

Regards,

Obie

You guys are definitely right and there is a learning curve. Thank you all so much very helpful advice.

I am wondering tho, i was reading through the guides a while back and it was written that one of the advantages of straight razor shaving is the lack of irritation. Admittedly i don't get any except on the mustache and i think its because it takes several tries WTG/ATG. Is this a regular occurrence or am i doing something wrong.
Actually that is the second reason why i picked up SRS i hate having bumps and redness on the face after what used to be a chore.

so, you don't have a strop yet???

stop using the razor, i am pretty sure it is not suitable for shaving anymore and it may already need not just stropping, but honing.

I think the rust issue is a result of improper drying. I live in south Louisiana, and it doesn't get much more humid than it does here, and I keep my razors in my bathroom with no problems with rust. I never oil my blades, but I do dry them extremely well and I store them in a partially open position. I really think that if you pay close attention to your drying technique the rust problems will go away. And if you slow down on your shaving, it just might go better. I've been shaving with straights for quite a while and get consistently good shaves without getting cuts, but even now, with experience, it often takes me 30 minutes to shave. I take it slow and easy and enjoy the experience. Good luck with it all and let us know how it goes.

Guigi: How would I know if it needs honing given that I don't have a strop? Sadly i have stopped, i don't think i could go back to regular safe razor shaving...i tried it and it was so...regular.
I was wondering, if you hone a lot, meaning 200+ strokes would that not be like honing because it still sharpens no?

sffone: your right and the ritual is awesome, i don't think i could go back to regular shaving its so much fun and so neat and perfect when you get it right that it feels like an accomplishment.

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Originally Posted by DanielG

How would I know if it needs honing given that I don't have a strop?

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I don't think it's possible to shave on daily basis with a cutthroat razor if you can't strop the razor between shaves. Without coming to grief of some sort.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DanielG

Guigi: How would I know if it needs honing given that I don't have a strop? Sadly i have stopped, i don't think i could go back to regular safe razor shaving...i tried it and it was so...regular.
I was wondering, if you hone a lot, meaning 200+ strokes would that not be like honing because it still sharpens no?

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Well, you wouldn't know. Also 200 strokes is not too much. A member, mparker762 has posted about stropping a slightly dull razor to shave again and that was about 1500 laps on I believe linen (more abrasive than cotton). If I'm not mistaken he dulled the razor by cutting a piece of cardboard, which is not the same as the damage from oxidation, which can get pretty bad unless the razor is stropped regularly.

It's really hard to tell what is the condition of the edge, but it will definitely need at least good stropping. If the oxidation has microchipped the edge the shave will be a bit rough until it gets rehoned.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

Well, you wouldn't know. Also 200 strokes is not too much. A member, mparker762 has posted about stropping a slightly dull razor to shave again and that was about 1500 laps on I believe linen (more abrasive than cotton). If I'm not mistaken he dulled the razor by cutting a piece of cardboard, which is not the same as the damage from oxidation, which can get pretty bad unless the razor is stropped regularly.

It's really hard to tell what is the condition of the edge, but it will definitely need at least good stropping. If the oxidation has microchipped the edge the shave will be a bit rough until it gets rehoned.

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A friend sent me a razor with oxidation on the edge the other day and the edge looked like a the edges of a peppermint that had been sucked on for 35 minutes or so... It was really eye-opening to see what it does (he didn't have a strop either). I have rehoned it and included a TM practice strop to go along with it...