Thread: Haven't found instructions for cleanup after the shave.

Hey guys,

My razor's on the way, hopefully it will arrive tommorrow. I purchased lynn's DVD from classic shaving and watched it this weekend. It was very informative and I think I'm all set for getting down to it. The one thing I didn't see in the DVD though, and haven't found yet on the site here is instructions on what to do after the shave in terms of putting your razor away in a way that protects it from rust, or what to do with a mug with soap and lather.

Do you rinse out the mug? Or just let the lather dry in the mug?

I assume you dry the blade off with a towel, but do I need to oil it or anything else? Do I strop the blade after the shave or only before?

Thanks for any advice,

Rob

welcome Rob

yes i rinse the mug after use
rinse and dry the blade then strop maybe 20/20 linen leather to make sure the edge is totally clean
oiling the blade depends on how humid your enviroment is or if you store the blade for a longer period

I'm in Vancouver, British Columbia, with humidity similar to Seattle which is only a few hours away. Would you say that's a climate that would need to worry about humidity for razors or are you talking more like swamps of louisiana levels heh?

Thanks for the mug / brush advice.

umm never been in those parts of the world so i wouldnt know
someone should be able to answer this soon tho

Clean and dry the kit well after the shave

Make sure the razor is clean and dry (dry cloth+stropping. I use a towel while shaving and a microfiber-cloth after. Tissues and toilet paper work ok too) everywhere, even between the scales. However, be very careful of the edge so you don't slice your hand or ruin the sharpening.

I usually leave the razor out in the open to dry partially open (so that the heel clears the scales), but that may not be suitable if you have kids around.

Also, since the pivot is difficult to clean, try to keep it dry while shaving. Generally it's good to keep the razor dry in any case, but it's a learning curve there too.

Dry your brush properly too: I rinse, squeeze gently, whip gently, twirl on towel and fluff it up before returning it to the holder.

Still quite new so I don't know the long term effects of these, but I haven't had rust problems yet.

Big +1 to Ursus's comments.

A very common cause of rust is a drop of water in between the scales and getting the pivot wet. Try to avoid getting any water on any of those areas and make sure you dry and strop the razor before you put it away. Store the razors away from the bathroom and other humid areas in the house.

Putting a little pack of that silica gel in with your razors is another good tip, as those really keep the moisture away.

Hello, RobertH,

Seattle is quite humid, so I would imagine, then, that your area is, too.

Both Ursus and Stubear make excellent points on the cleanup. Also, if by chance I think the pivot area has somehow become wet, I use a dental floss to dry it. The floss is a bit hard to maneuver in that area and care must be taken, but the practice seems to work for me.

Good luck.

Rinse out the mug
Rinse the brush and shake dry
Rinse and dry the razor - put it away
Dry the sink and counter

You can lightly oil the blade of the razor if it is carbon steel and you don't want it to darken. Use mineral oil as other oils may actually promote oxidation (darkening).

Originally Posted by ursus

Clean and dry the kit well after the shave

Make sure the razor is clean and dry (dry cloth+stropping. I use a towel while shaving and a microfiber-cloth after. Tissues and toilet paper work ok too) everywhere, even between the scales. However, be very careful of the edge so you don't slice your hand or ruin the sharpening.

I usually leave the razor out in the open to dry partially open (so that the heel clears the scales), but that may not be suitable if you have kids around.

Also, since the pivot is difficult to clean, try to keep it dry while shaving. Generally it's good to keep the razor dry in any case, but it's a learning curve there too.

Dry your brush properly too: I rinse, squeeze gently, whip gently, twirl on towel and fluff it up before returning it to the holder.

Still quite new so I don't know the long term effects of these, but I haven't had rust problems yet.

RobertH

+1 on ursus's suggestions. Although I live in Indianapolis, I always rinse my scuttle, brush and razor. Shake or flick the brush to remove any excess water before returning it to its stand (brush down) and thoroughly dry my blade with a dry utility towel.

I also oil my blade at least once a week. Use mineral oil which you can get in any drugstore. An ounce of rust prevention is worth a tube of metal polisher/rust remover.

Thanks guys, all your posts have cleared it up for me.

For my first razor I went with a Gold Dollar 208, an inexpensive razor compared to all the Dovos and other recommended brands. I bought it to get into straight razor shaving at a lower cost at first to be sure it's for me. So I think I'll experiment with not oiling it frequently, maybe only once in awhile, and I'll check out how the blade does after a year of that. Then when I'm ready to step up to a higher quality / more expensive razor I'll know how often I'll need to do it.