Thread: Dark spots (rust?) on razor - can't keep 'em away

I rinse mine with extremely hot water, dry them off with a towel, then coat the blades in mineral oil. I store the razors in a wooden liquor box with dessicant that I replace about once a month so moisture is definitely not a concern, not even in the "rain forest" NW that I live in.

If the razor is stored in a drawer with or proximity to styptic pen ,or alum blocks,this may be the problem,also if you use the styptic during shaving and get it on the razor and then dont properly clean afterward you could also get the pepper marks.I keep a small needle applicator bottle of tuffcoat on the shaving sink and wipe some on the blade after rinsing and drying the blade.I dont have any problems with waterstains or rust.In the 1960's I used to travel with two straight razors in a leather pouch with the stiptic ,and an alum block in the same bag,and the would have rust spots the next morning,I started wrapping the stiptic and alum in wax paper(thats all we had back then) and keeping it out of my razor bag,and havent had that problem in the past 40 plus years,and ive been using a straight razor every couple of days for that long :Best regards Gary

The classic solution is to strop the razor after shaving. This cleans the edge and dries it.

I get those, or rather I used to get those until i started wiping the blade with Camellia Oil after each shave, which can be inconvenient.

So i took a small cloth to clean glasses, soaked in the oil and used a thumb tack to stick one corner underneath a shelf in my bathroom.

Now I just wipe the blade down and leave it be.

No more spots since I started using this method.