Help!! Mysterious/Sudden Razor Staining

So I take extremely good care of all my razors. I hand dry them after use and then let them air dry for about an hour thereafter followed by a quick stropping before storage.

About two weeks ago I shaved with my vintage French razor, went through my proper cleaning/drying ritual after and then placed it in it's cardboard container for storage. Fast forward to today and I pull it out and the whole front side of the blade has dark patina stains all over it. The horror!!! Just so happens to be the side with the etching on it :(

On the plus side, the razor still shaves great and the staining mysteriously stops right where the blade's edge begins. Anybody know what happened? Has anyone faced something like this and will the staining come off?

Thanks!

sounds like it was stored moist or not completely dry. I wax my razors regularly and oil the pins if I'm not expecting to use them anytime soon. I also keep my razors in another room with dry packs in the box.

Without a photo we can only use our imagination and that might be ...... all wet ..... :p Post a photo with good lighting and maybe someone can give you something to go with.

I had a similar experience. Early on I followed some advice that had me wiping and drying my blades after use, but not cleaning them with hot water and soap. I didn't store them in the coffins, and I wouldn't advise that storage now for a daily shaver, but I would get staining pretty regularly, and like you, not on the edge.

I found that no matter how well I wiped them, a little film of the shaving soap/cream with its lanolin, glycerin, etc. remained on the blade and it was somewhat hygroscopic (attracted and/or held moisture). The staining was always in a pattern of a wiped surface. The edge didn't suffer because the stropping more efficiently removed any residue.

So, I started to clean my blades after use with a little liquid hand soap, which according to some labels is a combination hand/dish soap which is designed to cut oils, etc.. Since then I've had little trouble with staining, leading to rust. Also I started treating all my razors, blades and scales, with Renaissance Wax. It provides an extra level of protection and I apply it to a regular use razor about once every 6 to 8 weeks. It's also great for long term storage.

If you've just been wiping dry and not cleaning the blade, try cleaning with very warm to hot water with a few drops of hand or dish soap on your fingers and then rinse and dry carefully and strop and leave it out of the coffin so it can continue to dry in a more open space. See if this doesn't cure the problem. *Keep the water out of the pivot pin and out of the scales.

I've tried to include a link to classicshaving.com for the Renaissace Wax but it doesn't show in the post. Go to that site and search Renaissance in the search box and it will bring up Renaissance Wax.

Hope this helps!! :)

Regards,

Howard :)

Moisture or celluloid rot.

A Big + 1 on what Jim said!!! Photos Please!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Without a photo we can only use our imagination and that might be ...... all wet ..... :p Post a photo with good lighting and maybe someone can give you something to go with.

---

I'll try to get some photos that capture the staining and put them up when I get the chance, thanks guys!!!

oops. Wrong thread.

I like to dip my razors in 99% isopropyl alcohol with a little mineral oil mixed in after use. The alcohol displaces moisture, and the oil remains to protect the blade.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robellison01

I like to dip my razors in 99% isopropyl alcohol with a little mineral oil mixed in after use. The alcohol displaces moisture, and the oil remains to protect the blade.

---

I like that idea - I'm going to do that, thanks.

I was with hand soap and dry with cotton hand towel. Then I use air can to dry the pins, the blade and the scales. Strop it and in the box it goes ready for next week.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robellison01

oops. Wrong thread.

I like to dip my razors in 99% isopropyl alcohol with a little mineral oil mixed in after use. The alcohol displaces moisture, and the oil remains to protect the blade.

---

Now this is a great idea, thanks!! Pics of the blade soon gents...

Apologies for resurrecting this and taking so long to put up photos for those who requested. I tried my best to get a good angle to show the staining, this is the best I could do. Its the dark areas towards the edge of the blade that kind of creep upwards, but again, the staining stops right where the edge begins, pretty much some patina. Can it be saved?

Attachment 141983

Attachment 141984

As long as there is no gold wash try using some Mothers Mag Wheel Polish or MASS metal polish to see what happens!:shrug:

Re-post pictures if that at least helps some!

The etching doesn’t look deep enough to consider using even a 2000 grit sandpaper, it might even start to diminish with the above mentioned metal polishes!:hmmm: So BEWARE!!!

Thanks cuda, will definitely give it a shot! The etching is very light indeed, some might say to just leave the razor as is, but it looked so nice before!!

Use a very soft light cloth like an old t-shirt. Give it a VERY LIGHT go with only slight pressure then apply some liquid dish or hand soap to the blade and rinse under warm running tap water so you can actually see what's happening! The polishes tend to leave a film that hides what beneath and that's why it's best to rinse as you go!

Will definitely try this, thanks so much cuda!!

Are you sure this is not celluloid rot? Do the scales smell of vinegar, do they show minute cracks? No point removing the rust when rotten scales are to blame.

No the scales are fine. They're plastic I believe and clean as a whistle, smell fine too haha.