Thread: Newbie mistake

So I just recently bought my first true straight razor from an SRP member. Before this razor, I have only used a Feather No Sharpen. The new-to-me razor is vey sharp and works great but alas I think I've messed it up.

I didn't dry it off completely last night and now I see some rust spots and pitting. Do I need to hone to get rid of that? It hasn't affected the sharpness or shave quality but it just looks terrible. I guess the disposable part of the Feather trained me not to carefully dry my razor.

How to properly fix this? Sorry if I am posting in the wrong section but this seemed the most likely forum.

- George Ku

I don't think you'll need to hone.

Try rubbing with a kitchen scrubbie and see how that works. Be very careful near the edge. Active rust, ie: new rust, is orange, and comes off easily. If active rust continues its job uninterrupted for a long time it then becomes much more serious.

You'll be ok with a little elbow grease and some good attention to drying your razor from now on.

Maxi,

I've used a soft scotch brite sponge already. I was able to remove the "new" rust but some areas are actually pitted. Maybe I'll need to use a metal polish? Would Mother's style metal polish compounds work ok?

- George Ku

Hi George,

Mother's or Maas work well. The tip from Robert Williams was to apply and buff the sections with the eraser of a pencil. I use the plastic/rubber erasers and they work well. If the pits are on the bevel, you may need to re-hone from dulling the edge while taking out the rust/pits.

If you need a hand honing, pm me.

Agree with Pinklather.

Try the eraser and metal polish. We'll go from there.