Thread: razor oil questions

So i just got my first razor had my first shave yesterday and now want to take good care of it. I've read the wiki but can't find some good information about oiling my razor. My questions are the following.

1. Do i really need to oil my razor?

2. If I do how often and the consequences of not oiling ?

3. Which oil to get and the differences between the variations.

If you live in humid environment then you should oil the razor IMHO.
I personally oil my razors no matter the humidity.
If the razor is not oiled and left in humid environment it will develop micro corrosion which will degrade the edge fast. If the razor is left for longer periods of time it can develop rust spots.
For oiling you can use mineral oil, baby oil, ballistol, camelia oil.

Thanks for the quick reply, i live in NY, when summer comes its humidity central so i'll start oiling.

I live in Los Angeles, so I don't have a huge humidity problem. Even so, I apply a light coat of mineral oil w/ a Q-tip to all exposed steel after I give the blade a good post shave rinse and stropping

im from pa and the humidity is close to ny but i hardly ever oil it, i usuly just strop it afterwards and wipe it dry then put it in its case untill the next time my few whiskers and peachfuzz need cut.

Personally I don't oil any of my razors...I just make sure they're good and dry before I put them away. I haven't had a problem yet...but that just me

drying your razor is one of your best protections agenst rust spots. its best to wipe your razor dry as soon as ur done with it, I persionally give it 10 or so laps on the leather strop to make sure its good and dry.

xalted13,

As has been said, it depends on circumstance.

For me, I use:

1) Day to day protection for razors in rotation - Sentry Solutions TufGlide (a dry film protectant).

2) For storage of up to a few months - Ballistol.

3) For longer term storage - RIG grease.

I live in an old, cold Victorian house and prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting my blades from corrosion !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

would machine oil work ? my mail concern with most oils that i know is at the pivot I don't want it greased up so much that it flips open at the slightest movement.

All the suggestions given so far are good. Especially a good drying immediately after use. I rinse my razor after use in really hot water- heating the steel pretty hot. This helps to evaporate any little bit left from a moist towel, or whatever.
Machine oil stinks, and I'm sure the residue of any of the other choices would be less harmful to you in a cut.
My 2 cents

Ed
quicknicker