Proper After Shave Maintenance

After I shave with a staright I rinse repeatedly and dry with a lint free barber towel, being sure to get the business edge of the blade but not cut the towel. I then spray with Clippercide, as suggested her on SRP and let dry open. I noticed after sending a razor to Lynn to hone that he applied a more viscous looking product, maybe that made by Dovo or something.

What's the proper way to treat a razor after a shave to protect it and the edge while removing the soap so it doesen't etch the blade?

I am no razor expert, but I would assume that the razors only need to be oiled every few months, or if they will be stored and not used for an extended period of time.

I did happen to talk to Lynn about the type of oil used and it seems that many diferent types can used. I will be using the same oil I used to lubricate pistols.

oil is a good idea, "too much or too often" is an oxymoron. As for the pistol oil, be it Break Free or something from Sentry Solutions, I personally avoid that sort of stuff for blades that will be on my face. The razor abrades the skin slightly, and unless you totally wash it off before each use, it could cause irritation at the very least. If I'll be storing something for a long time, then the Tuf Cloth is fine, but for my regular rotation I use STEROL by Dovo. My guess is that's what Lynn had on there.

Jeff

Normally, I dry the razor by wiping the blade down and leaving in open on the sink while I dress. Keep in mind, for me, that usually only the blade gets wet during the shave. After dressing, I usually strop it on leather and put it in a mug for future use with a bunch of others. For long term storage, I do wipe them down with the Tuf Cloth. When I ship razors I normally coat them with Camilla oil. You can also use the Sterol, sewing machine oil, mineral oil or several others. This has always worked pretty well. The humidity up here is pretty low too. I also don't close the bathroom door when showering (no kids at home) so the bathroom really never gets steamy either. Lynn

I don't have to worry about the kids in my bathroom Lynn, it's the cats that I have to watch.

That being said, I follow pretty much what Lynn does, except for stropping before putting them away. I also store my razors I'm currently using in a ceder jewelry box lined with foam. It's pretty humid here and I've yet to have any issues.

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Originally Posted by threeputt

oil is a good idea, "too much or too often" is an oxymoron. As for the pistol oil, be it Break Free or something from Sentry Solutions, I personally avoid that sort of stuff for blades that will be on my face. The razor abrades the skin slightly, and unless you totally wash it off before each use, it could cause irritation at the very least. If I'll be storing something for a long time, then the Tuf Cloth is fine, but for my regular rotation I use STEROL by Dovo. My guess is that's what Lynn had on there.

Jeff

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Break free isnt actually oil and I dont even like inhaling that stuff let alone having it touch my skin! The good gun oils are great for metals and don't have any additives I can think of that would irritate skin...but I'll find out for if I wake up with a rash lol.

Everyone has their own little ritual they follow. I usually wipe down good after a good rinsing and blow out the water from the scales and pivot points then let it sit open an hour or so. Since I usually have a 30 blade rotation I wipe em down with sterol. I think if you only have a few that you rotate every day you don't need the wiping with oil step.

I don't oil my razors lately, but if you must use oil, best bet is oil without aditives, i.e. mineral oil (100% parafinoll) or natural oil that doesn't go rancid, i.e. Camilia oil. After all, that is what samurai used on their swords for 1000-s of years...

Nenad san. Hai.

what type of stores could I find Camilla oil in? It is too damn expensive to use my good oils (they cost about $15.00 per ounce). I havent seen this stuff around anywhere, maybe I have been overlooking it. Can I get it at a pharmacy or supermarket, or only at an art store type place??

JL, try this: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...ROD&ProdID=756

Monte

Josh, just go to any pharmacy and you'll be able to get like 12oz of generic Mineral Oil for $2-3. It doesn't go rancid, it preserves the metal, you can use it on sharpening stones, hedge trimmer blades, hair clippers and it keeps you regular :D

i'm glad someone brought this up, because i've been meaning to ask something.


until recently, i've had three razors in my possession: a brand new dovo, a torrey, and a junk razor called zimmerman from IL. here's what bugs the hell out of me:
the junkrazor and the torrey (both pretty old by the look of them) will not rust, but the dovo contiually develops rust. i use maas on it, let it dry completely, then wipe it down with mineral oil, and when i look at it the next day or the day after (i use that one every day), it has little rust spots.

the torrey, on the other hand, i've only used about four times in two months, never polished or put mineral oil on it, and it has never had a rust spot.

i never used the junk razor, but had it out several times just fooling around with it, and it never had any spots either. both of the older razors have some black stuff or spots here and there, but they don't change.

i'm pretty sure they're all plain old carbon steel, though i admit i don't know how high the carbon content is and how it might vary. it seems to be more related to the age. has anyone here noticed new razors rusting more easily?

what the hell?

Someone mentioned the posibility of celluloid scales on some razors deteriorating and evaporating some corrosive stuff.. Clean up the DOVO and keep it in a separate room than the other two razors. If it doesn't develop any rust, then you know the culprit and one or both of the others may need to be re-scaled. Their steel just may be less succeptible to celluloid fumes.

the scales on the torrey might just be plastic. how can i tell?

and the junk razor stays in its coffin, away from the other two. i'm pretty sure that one is celluloid. i keep both of the razors out, now, but for a while i kept all three of them in their coffins (love that term). would the fumes move outside one coffin and into another?

I can't say for sure, but if you keep it in a separate room, chances are the fumes won't have any effect on it and you'll be fine. Just do this as an experiment. Good luck!

You can smell the deteriroating celluloid easily. It has an acrid scent, and you won't have to guess at it. You may, however, have to get it close to your nose if they are just starting to break down.

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Josh, just go to any pharmacy and you'll be able to get like 12oz of generic Mineral Oil for $2-3. It doesn't go rancid, it preserves the metal, you can use it on sharpening stones, hedge trimmer blades, hair clippers and it keeps you regular :D

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Sounds like the wonder cure for all my ailments!!!

The crazy part is that all of my claims are true. I've used it on oilstones, hair clippers, to keep carbon steel edges from corroding and my hedge trimmer without any problems. It's also good to prevent diaper rash (baby oil is just scented mineral oil) and it really is used as a laxative (softens up the stool). The bottom line is that it will protect your blades as well as anything and is dirt-cheap.

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

The crazy part is that all of my claims are true. I've used it on oilstones, hair clippers, to keep carbon steel edges from corroding and my hedge trimmer without any problems. It's also good to prevent diaper rash (baby oil is just scented mineral oil) and it really is used as a laxative (softens up the stool). The bottom line is that it will protect your blades as well as anything and is dirt-cheap.

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My mom picked me up a bottle today from a drug store...she said it was the only one they had and it was so big it will last me until Im 105....I havent seen it yet lol Im scared

Yeah, it's gonna last you a while. You have no idea how many times I soaked the norton oilstone with it until it couldn't take any more and I still have about 95% of the bottle left. This also includes 2 lubrications of my trimmer, all of the hinges in the house, 3 lubrications of the clipper and 3 blades in storage. However, all of these combined do not measure up to one soaking of the oilstone.

Well its official I now have a VERY large bottle of CVS mineral oil lubricant laxitive....well at least I know its non toxic lol

At least you can use the laxative function to convince your wife that it's not another shave-related item :D

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

At least you can use the laxative function to convince your wife that it's not another shave-related item :D

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LMAO :roflmao

Ya, I'll pure some in her coffee so she can see first hand!

Don't do it unless you have a comfy couch.. It may have to sustain you for a month or so :eek:

Hi all,

Just regarding this after shave maintenance: I wipe my razor dry very carefully. If I have to apply anything, I found baby oil works pretty well. It is cheap and widely available and 250mL lasts you ages.