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After shaving I rinse the blades off,
dry them with a towel
stand them in their holder (currently an old pipe stand) with the blade open to facilitate draining.
But I'm still getting dark spots (water I missed?) and even some rust on one particular razor (J.Fink).
What do i do to keep them spot free?
In addition to drying with a towel, start by stropping them a few strokes on leather - this will make sure the edge is completely dry, which is the most important part to protect. After that, oil the razor (mineral oil works, as will others) with a cloth.
If your razor holder resides in your bathroom, they are exposed to a high-humidity environment. I'd move them somewhere else.
My first guess is that perhaps you are not fully drying the scales. I don't get anything but the actual blade (from shoulder to point) wet when I shave, but if you do get water on the tang/pivot/scales, you want to make sure you get it all off. You can blow through the pivot (with your mouth or a hairdryer on cool to prevent heat damage to the scales) and "floss" the scales with toilet paper or a paper towel. You may also find things dry better if you set the razor on a table top with the blade open 90 degrees or so for a while.
I don't know about those spots. I keep my razors oiled but when I use them they still get those spots which in my case are water spots. Metal polish takes them off. Like has been said you just keep them as dry as possible. Moisture and carbon steel don't match.
Do you guys keep your razors in a different room?Quote:
Originally Posted by ace
I have a small bathroom and 5 kids so its definitely "humid" in there with 3 teenage girls showering all the time. I never considered putting them elsewhere. I'll have to ponder that.
The only razor of none that resides in the bathroom is my shavette. The others are in a box on my dresser. However, I am considering moving all my shaving supplies to the half bath in the basement that my daughter has decided is my bathroom.
Humidity is likely, maybe other things too.
I have my shower in a walled off area from my sink shaving area. In the dry Arizona desert. When I finish, I palm strop on dry washcloth, wipe dry with same dry cloth, stop on cloth for 25 laps, leaving open vertical in my rack until I get home...maybe longer. Then I'll wipe down with oiled cloth and tuck away.
Most all of my razors this is fine. One of my excellent shavers, every time I wipe down with the oiled clothed, still pulls rust color onto that oiled cloth at final clean up.
Its really no surprise. During shave I just dip the soaped blade in the basin to rinse off, and see the blade change color.
So often it is the environment, but if it is just the one blade...it might be the steel
There really isn't much to add to what these guys have said, they covered drying, oiling and environment. If I were to add I would suggest going to the top of this page to the google search and type: AlemiCase. I just got mine and although I have no experience with it yet I thik placing your dry, oiled razors in this item would help, especially if you need to keep them in your bathroom.
in my experience I think to have a metal polish is a must. no matter how good I take care of straight still getting rust and spots, I have 4 straights n I take care of 'em everyday, I dont even keep them in bathroom. the only easy one to take care is the stainless one but still getting a tiny spot. the metal polish brand AUTOSOL work really good n cheap, made in solingen. I got them from convenient store
I use paper towels + little BALLISTOL on the blade and tang.
Excellent protection at the scale of the horns.
I think everything has been pretty much covered here. Basically the idea is to keep moisture away from your blade, whether that is by putting oil on the blade or moving it to a dryer area. Do whatever works best for you.
Oil....Quote:
Originally Posted by tumtatty
Lightly oil your razor after wiping it dry.
Mineral oil is a good inexpensive oil to
use for this. Some of the common bathroom
Lotion prepared facial tissue often contain a nice
does of mineral oil as part of the lotion
compound. If you use one of those tissues
to dry the razor you may see an improvement.
You can try light applications of WD-40
The WD is for water displacement. Displacing
any water in the pivot, jimps and other places
is a good thing. WD-40 is not a "good oil" for
long term rust preservation. It seems to be
good for three to five days. Gun shops and sporting
goods shops are a good place to shop for
better products.
A wax like "Renaissance Wax" can be buffed
onto the large surfaces of a razor.
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/wo...ssance_wax.pdf
I might note that many of the sticks and blocks of buffer abrasives are heavy
in hard waxes and result in a surface that resists spotting for a long
time. When it ultimately breaks down pay attention..
Make sure you dry in between the scales. If you get water there then the blade will tarnish between uses when the water drop makes contact with the steel.
I also wouldnt leave your blades in the bathroom as these rooms tend to be quite humid. I leave my blades in a cupboard in my spare room and I have a silica gel pack in there well, just to keep things as dry as possible.
If you really are having a problem with it then coat the blade in a light mineral oil between uses.
Thanks guys, this is a big help!