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

Hi folks,

I've had a Dovo carbon steel razor for a couple of months now and I shave with it about 3-4 times a week. In the last 2 weeks, I've noticed some small dark spots that I think are rust. Some are on the back side and some are along the bottom edge of the gold wash. They are about the size of specks of pepper.

I try to keep water away from my razor yet it doesn't help. I live in Los Angeles so it's fairly dry here. I keep the razor in a warm and dry cupboard. When I shave, I don't rinse off the razor but wipe away the soap on a towel. I rinse the razor once after I'm done and dry it with a towel, then dry it with a blow dryer until it's almost too warm to touch, then I apply a light coat of Sterol. In spite of all this, these rust spots are getting more and more plentiful. Is there anything I can do to stop this or do I just live with it?

I wash my razor after each shave to remove all traces of shaving lather. Then I wipe it dry and lay it on a dry towel.
No rust spots.

Try washing your razor with liquid dish soap and drying with just a dry towel, no hot blower.


Hope this helps,

Those aren't too bad.

Follow Randy's advice. Your mistaken, I believe, in not rinsing off the razor. It should be rinsed in hot water, then dried thoroughly, and put away somewhere dry. Shaving cream residue may remain with your method. And you may be baking it into place and accelerating the staining process artifically. Rinse, then dry. You need to get rid of the shaving cream early in the process. The location of the spots may be indicitive of your not leaving it open to dry.

Also, if you insist on using a blow dryer, consider cold air instead of hot, as thats probably part of the problem.

Fellas, I notice black spots occasionally. I feel it's due, in part, to the styptic. I'll use the pencil mid-shave and it does get on the razor. I can't prove this theory but I do dry and oil my razors well which leads me to deduce that it's probably the styptic. The MAAS works wonders though.

Just my observations.

-Rob

Rob,

I think you are right. I am no where as careful as other guys as to after shave preop and I don't use the styptic pencil till I am through butchering my face and no black spots on the blades.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Maybe I should clarify my technique a little bit. While shaving, after I make each pass, instead of rinsing off the razor, I wipe it on a towel. However, when I'm all done with my shave, I do a thorough rinse of the razor in cold water to make sure all the shaving soap and anything else is gone. I then dry the razor with a towel, then I blow dry it, then I apply the sterol and then I put it in the cabinet with the blade exposed to further dry overnight.

I do think the spots are probably due to shaving soap residue though and I suspect that I'm not rinsing off the razor well enough. Also, another contributory factor may be the sterol oil. Since oil and water don't mix, if I have a residual spot of shaving soap that somehow gets covered under some residual film of oil from a previous shave, then the next rinsing activity may not be able to get all the shaving soap off, which could contribute to the rust spots. I think that I need to do a much better job of cleaning off my razor and perhaps I should rinse the razor several times during the shave.

Like you, I wipe my razors during the shave and rinse afterward. I typically rinse my razors in hot water after the shave. I will wipe them with a dry towel after the shave and leave them open on my table in the office to air dry. Have you tried hot rinse, then air dry while at work, then Sterol when you arrive home?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

Like you, I wipe my razors during the shave and rinse afterward. I typically rinse my razors in hot water after the shave. I will wipe them with a dry towel after the shave and leave them open on my table in the office to air dry. Have you tried hot rinse, then air dry while at work, then Sterol when you arrive home?

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No, I haven't tried that. This is my only razor so I tend to use it every other day.

Ed,

Another thing to try would be wiping the razor down with alcohol after you shave.

RT

The product I use to prevent corrosion is Ballistol. Good for metal, wood, and leather. It is non toxic and biodegradable. It has mild antiseptic properties too. Smells bad so you know it's good.

After rinsing the blade in water, just wipe it with Ballistol. No need to clean the Ballistol off before the next use. Yup, it's that easy.

It cannot be said enough: heat is a catalyst for oxidation.

regards &C

LG Roy