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Hello all and thank you for reading. I have read that some people oil their razor after using it. Is this a good daily practice? Or is it something that you do occasionally? And finally the $64,000 question, what type of oil are my choices?
All the best
Carlos
I have read that a light coating of mineral oil after each use will prolong the life of your razor
Hi,
I clean, dry and oil my Razors after each use. If the Razor is going to be put away for a while, I use Camellia Oil, if I'm going to use it again the next day, I use Baby Oil.
Just regular Johnsons baby oil? And how do you go about applying the oil?
A thin coat of oil post-shave is not a bad thing, especially if the blade may not get used again for a few days or more. Most of my razors are carbon steel and potentially prone to rust, so I've gotten into the habit of doing it after every shave.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcrls145
I generally just use a drop of my T&H pre-shave oil, applied with the fingertip, but have been advised that vegetable based oils will degrade much faster than mineral oils. On the other hand, Straight Razor Designs sells Japanese Camellia oil, a seed-based oil fit for human consumption, for blade-care. I think I'll go with their recommendation on this...
Once a month I clean my razors with Maas and the apply two light coats of Renaissance Wax.
After every shave:
- Rinse the blade with hot water
- Dry with a cloth towel
- Let razor air dry for about ten minutes
- Put two drops of Camelia oil on the blade and smooth the oil on both sides of the blade
- Wipe excess oil off with toilet paper.
This only takes a few minutes and prevents rust from forming. Razors look brand new.
Happy Shaving!
Awesome I will have to try it. So if its only going to be sitting for a couple days can I use baby oil or should I invest in some camelia oil?
My shave den is not used for showering so it is always dry. I dry the razor with a towel, strop on linen and put it away. I rotate through about twenty razor, and have never had rust.
For me all this oiling is a waste of time
baby oil and mineral oil are the same thing only baby oil smells good and cost more.
I use ballistol it came free with one of my razors and it works amazing.
As with anything made of iron or steel it is always good practice to keep it oiled, as they will rust. Iron is an ore obtained from mining and it only becomes steel with carbon being added to its molecular structure. And stainless steel is iron, carbon, and chromium. Although stainless is rather handy carbon steel can be tempered to a much stronger preference hence the trade off of oiling. Which is definitely worth it!
I use a mineral oil with a small quantity of bees wax added to eliminated pooling. I have recently heard of people using lanolin as well. I only oil as I store or if it is in my slow rotation. It is very dry here and I don't store near the shower at all.
Oil is used to prevent oxidation, so as long as you dry the razor carefully and don't keep it in humid environment you're good. Whether you want to use oil or not is up to you. If it's just for few days virtually all them won't go rancid which you'll have to take into account if you're using it for long term. Other than that you want the one with as low coefficient of surface tension with the steel as possible. In practice it doesn't matter all that much.
Yes, I just drip it on and spread it with a finger, just be careful.Quote:
Originally Posted by asj1991
Thank you very much for all your comments I already got some Camellia oil and I'm going to start using it tonight!
I also use ballistol. Thanks to Stefan who introduced me to it. Also it works so well on the frets of my banjo!:mexwave:Quote:
Originally Posted by basil
I just ordered some Camellia oil too. Found 2oz on Amazon for $7. Includes shipping with Amazon Prime.
I also use the ballistol, I really like how quickly it comes off under hot tap water.Quote:
Originally Posted by basil
I've been doing a one week rotation. In that I mean that I will use a razor every day for a week then put it away and use the next for a week and etc. Robert, (Pinklather) got me to thinking about it, and it really has allowed me to 'get to know' my razors better.
My shave den here at the Boar's Nest isn't usually used for showering as the manly men here (father and son) prefer baths so I've never had a problem with rust.
I've been oiling only the razors that aren't being used that week. It seems to be working out fine!
what? I can't use motor oil? Oops!
Seems stupid wiping on oil, and wiping it off a few days later, for razors in rotation that is...I use a silicone treated gun cloth for daily use. The razors are protected, and there's no waste. Oil is good for short term only, (a few months) but does turn rancid and will pool with long term storage, like Gugi said, then you have lot's of resto work on your hands, believe me. Razors in storage I clean first with Maas, then coat and protect with Renaissance wax. So far, so good, no problems.
I hear Tuf Glide is good too....
I don't know if this is a good practice, but I use the same razor every day and since I use it every day I figure I don't need to oil it, plus as a happy accident, out of convenience I place my razor at the back of my laptop (at the screen/keyboard joint) which I keep on all the time and the little heat from the laptop keeps my razor really dry.
Should I go with the WD-40 then for my SR (Kidding)? Seriously, I do use that on the threads of my DE but am using mineral oil on the SR. I'll look into ballistol oil. Camellia oil looks pricey so far. Where do you buy it for $7.00?
From a red throated Kentuckian.
I'm with Knife here. Never oil because i use the same razor every day. But do oil for the ones put away for storage. Sewing machine oil.
It's still on sale at Amazon for $7 (2 oz bottle) - Greenhealth Camellia 100% Pure Oil, ships/sold by Greenals. Free shippingQuote:
Originally Posted by KYPHILIP
Yep... I use one or two razors for a week or more then oil and rotate them out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankenstein
I have been eyeballing the tissues in a box that have "lotion" on them to keep
a tender nose from turning red. I have looked on the box and the "lotion" is
basically mineral oil. I am going to give a box a try. Just wipe the last
of the lather off with the tissue and put it back on the shelf.
Glen; (GSSIXGUN) sends all of his restored/honed razors back to the owner with a light coat of WD-40.Quote:
Originally Posted by KYPHILIP
He includes a paper telling the owner what stone was used to finish the edge. This paper also states that the razor was lightly coated with WD-40 and also how to use the razor the first time. The instructions also include how to strop it to keep it up to par after the first shave! While he doesn't mention WD-40 in particular, he does tell the owner that a buffed/restored razor has 'fresh' steel and that it's prone to oxidization and that it should be kept oiled for at least 1 month!
I used WD-40 on my great grandfather's W&B for several months, then I switched to Ballistol.
I oil a razor after each use.
I use Ballistol because I have about 2 quarts of it for gun and general use; and it emulsifies with water. Emulsifying with water is a nice feature since it is usually very humid where I live and I do a bit of canoeing, hiking, etc...
Most oils should work just fine.
I rinse my blade with hot water, wipe then blow out the pivot from the back side. :w then lay it on my sink towel and just fold a corner over it that doesn't cover the scales to that I will not forget it is in the towel.
I clean all my shaving stuff and then get to back to the razor. I use an applicator mixed with Billistoal and Camelia oil.
Attachment 81231
Works very well and has kept all my razors like new. Oxidation will still take place but in at very minimal level and nothing that a polishing compound will take off at each honing session.
Take Care,
Richard
Anyone use vasoline?
I heard one person, I think a senior member, say he only oils his razor if it is going into storage(out of rotation). I have been using a light coating of mineral oil and then removing it with an alcohol wipe before stropping. I've stopped oiling at this point. Still don't know which way to go on this. I thoroughly dry it as well as inside and outside the scales, then I give it about 50 on the leather side of the strop. I want to avoid any oxidation and it is stored out of bathroom.
Anyway, I'm still learning and had an "ahah" moment shaving my neck. It was successful using angled strokes first WTG/XTG and ATG. This required a very light touch and with the spine almost flat. It felt good that I missed my jugular! Seriously, this was the first time in that area with minimal irritation/redness. It felt good. Used Nivea shave balm followed by Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion.
Thanks for any input you have!:)
KYPHILIP
A light coating of mineral oil should not damage a strop.Quote:
Originally Posted by KYPHILIP
Wiping with a clean fold of bathroom tissue (without alcohol)
should be sufficient for stropping and shaving.
I like it when I rinse my razor and see water bead up
when I rinse my razor prior to shaving but the layer of
oil is invisible otherwise.
I personally would skip the alcohol because it tends to leave
the steel bare to air and that encourages rust.
One thing with steel is that it will develop a patina
of uniform thin oxidation on a razor used
day in and day out. That patina can help protect
the steel as it does on old school steel kitchen
knives.
Regarding kitchen knives... It is not uncommon to
take a new knife and slice fruit with it. After each
thin slice the blade is rinsed in hot water and wiped
dry. The acid of the fruit tarnishes the steel leaving
a grey patina. If you eat the first couple slices
they have a mineral taste and smell. By the time
I get half the way through a lemon the metallic taste and
smell is gone and it is time to make a lemonade from
the last half.
One of the reasons we recommend mineral oil is that
it is quite safe. It can even be used in small amounts
as a post shave balm to calm a razor burn.
Should you spot a bit of rust, tissue paper is often
abrasive enough when dry and can then be used to
apply a thin layer of mineral oil. If clean paper is not
sufficient a mild polish like MAAS or Simichome will do
the trick most times.
Some folk apply Renaissance wax to protect the large
polished surfaces and let their strop naturally apply a thin
layer of strop dressing to clean and protect the edge.
Having said this, what works for you is fine.
There are many ways to skin a cat as they say....
Thanks for this advice. I just applied mineral oil to my SR and after time for it to penetrate, I wiped off the excess with tissue.
I appeciate it!
KYPHILIP:)
No one but me who uses olive oil?
Aint got too much to compare to since it's been working out good for me, no need to change :)
Olive oil will work for short term, but I wouldn't use it for longer periods of time as it can go rancid.Quote:
Originally Posted by cristal
True, i've never left it more than 1,5 weeks with it on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Theseus
In beginning, I started out with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (nothing too good for my face) but continuing was too expensive. Tried Johnson's Baby Oil but too thick and wanted to "man up." Using Musgo Real but not impressed. Can anyone recommend anything better?
John Wayne look alike in KY
I just ordered some as well. It should last a long time.Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyC
