Thread: Oh for pete's sake. Help.

Ok, so apparently I'm a total moron.

Lacking mineral oil to oil my blades, and living in a very humid climate where regular oiling ain't a bad idea, I made due.

First time around was olive oil. No problems.

This time...

I used soy bean oil.

Apparently that was THE WRONG THING TO USE, because now after a couple days there is a sticky film on my blades.

I tried using dishwasher soap. Didn't really help a whole lot. Tried (very carefully)with an old toothbrush. Slight improvement, but still sticky. Cut my thumb open. Decided to call it a day.

What in the hell do I have to do to get this crap off? And I'm sure it's gotten in the scales too so even if I get it off, every time I close the blade... argh.

Here I was, looking forward to a nice shave...

Goddamn it.

acetone (Fingernail polish remover) should work.

Hmmm... this is weird.

My Wapi was all sticky and gross. Still is.

But I just took a look at my Rocca razor, and... most of it wiped right off. Hey, I can have a shave!

Why is one of them all sticky covered in film and the other is ok?

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

Hmmm... this is weird.

My Wapi was all sticky and gross. Still is.

But I just took a look at my Rocca razor, and... most of it wiped right off. Hey, I can have a shave!

Why is one of them all sticky covered in film and the other is ok?

Are there different finishes on the blade? If one is a mirror finish, that may make it easier to get the oil off.

And how long have they been stored? If one has been stored longer than the other, that may make it harder to get the oil off as it may have dried on more?

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

Hmmm... this is weird.

My Wapi was all sticky and gross. Still is.

But I just took a look at my Rocca razor, and... most of it wiped right off. Hey, I can have a shave!

Why is one of them all sticky covered in film and the other is ok?

Just a complete shot in the dark, but aren't Wapi blades stainless steel, and I dunno what a Rocca blade is... But it could be the different blade materials, or any myriad of causes... For instance, the Wapi could be more porous and is holding the oil more tenaciously, or the steel could be reacting differently... Also, different scale materials might be retaining/transferring more oil... Or, as Stu said, could be different blade finishes... Didn't even think of that..

Dunno, but Good luck again!

Cheers,
Jeremy

If anything I think the Wapi is more mirror-finished than the Rocca (it's a Soligen).

The blade on the Wapi is carbon steel - the scales are stainless. I'm assuming the Rocca is carbon as well. I think the scales are plastic.

I oiled them at the same time, so that's not it. They were sitting a few days I think. Work makes me too tired to do fun stuff sometimes.

Ah well. I'll be making a trip to the store tomorrow.

In the mean time, I'm gunna go at it with the Rocca. I'm trying out shaving cream tonight!

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

In the mean time, I'm gunna go at it with the Rocca. I'm trying out shaving cream tonight!

FWIW, I dunno what cream you're using, or what brush for that matter, But I've given myself a lot of fury over improper cream whipping, Start out with NO water, just the bare minimum in the brush, and whip the cream out as much as you can, until it's either a very flat paste and won't go anywhere, or it actually starts to build lather... Once it's building dry lather, add just a tiny bit of water, and whip a lot... The longer you whip the better.

You may know all of this already, but I wish someone had told it to me in blunt terms - No water to start with, VERY VIGOROUS whipping for a good while before adding water.

Hope I helped, or at least didn't harm :P

Cheers,
Jeremy

Hello, Cassie:

A lot of great advice from everyone. If I may suggest, try alcohol on the blade — and keep it away from the scales. Also, try vinegar on the blade.

Regards,

Obie

My first thought would have been Windex. I would soak your Wapi in the stuff for about half an hour and then gently wipe it off. I've seen this work with a number of applications and I would think it would be safer than nail polish remover. Though I'm not sure what it might do to the scales on your Rocca.

I use vasaline on my blades when I store them. It hasn't seemed to harm the blade. Is this ok to use?