Thread: Ahhh! Rust, already??

I have had my Boker King Cutter for only about 2 weeks. Still loving every shave and learning more and more; reading SRP every day.

I just noticed some rust inside the scales around the pivot. Absolutely nothing on the blade and not on the end of the scales, just the pivot. It wasn't super rusty, just a little bit and very light. It wiped right off with some toilet paper. I can still see some bright orange in between the scales and the pivot where I can't get to.

Any advice on hot to clean this short of taking the scales apart? No idea how to do that or put them back together. I have been reading about putting camelia oil or mineral oil on the blade and how it is important to keep the pivot dry. I just read about keeping the pivot dry this afternoon at work and was not concerned with this previously and sure enough tonight when I was shaving I noticed the orange on the pivot, go figure!

Anyways, I am gonna pick up some oil tomorrow and keep some on the pivot. How often should I put it on there? Everyday?... Once a week?...

Thanks,
-amt

I guess it depends, how often do you plan on getting it wet?

Seriously, keeping the pivot dry in the first place is the best way to protect it. Make sure that the hand holding the razor is always dry and don't allow any water to get in that area. Since oil that you put there will pretty much stay there, I would guess you could get by with just once a month.

I am surprised that $100+ straights are made with inferior metal pieces that are not of stainless steel. Manufacturer skimped out on materials in my opinion.

Originally Posted by DrLongandStrong

I am surprised that $100+ straights are made with inferior metal pieces that are not of stainless steel. Manufacturer skimped out on materials in my opinion.

If you take a look at a few other razors, you will find that many of them are not made of stainless steel and yet still are not considered to be made with inferior metal.

Originally Posted by DrLongandStrong

I am surprised that $100+ straights are made with inferior metal pieces that are not of stainless steel. Manufacturer skimped out on materials in my opinion.

In fact there are people who would not have a stainless and feel that the edge is inferior to a carbon steel razor.

Take Care,
Richard

+1 on keeping the razor dry, thats the best way to avoid rust. The only bit that should get wet is the actual blade itself. The shank and scales should stay dry.

Most razors are in fact made with carbon steel, stainless only being a recent addition. The steel is always of the highest quality to ensure the razor holds a good edge. The one thing good razor makers never skimp on is the steel. You might have a razor with gold wash and horn scales, but if the steel is bad it'll be a bad shaver.

Even stainless steel razors will tarnish if they are not kept in the right way, so dont think that you can do what you like with a stainless razor and get away with it..!

My razor gets wet all the time. I really need to do something about that. Although, it's already rusted up near the pivot, so should I just not care? As long as the blade is rust free, I'm good right?

Sorry if I'm hijacking

When i started using a straight i had this trouble, think i was being a bit lazy with my cleaning, now i really give the whole razor a good rub over making sure its al dry, and things are getting better.

[QUOTE=amt;667963Anyways, I am gonna pick up some oil tomorrow and keep some on the pivot. How often should I put it on there? Everyday?... Once a week?...

[/QUOTE]

FWIW --

I put a drop of oil on the pivot after using the razor. Every time. I figure it's cheap insurance.

Charles

I've never had a problem with rust, even though I keep my razors in a humid bathroom. However, while shaving I try to avoid getting the pivot area wet, and I dry the razor thoroughly when finished. Finally, I strop the razor about 50 strokes on a cotton or linen strop, which heats the blade a bit and helps the drying process. I then put it in my razor stand, pivot end up.