Thread: Does cell rot smell?

I just got an ebay razor and i notice a smell like musky cigarettes. The blade is polished up real nice but it has a coating of oil over it.....

should i keep it separate from my other razors and watch the blade....or do some scales just smell?

I should mention that i have sprayed the razor down with scrubbing bubbles and soaked it in alcohol with no change in the small

How about a nice wash and disinfecting, blow dry and reoil...if it still smells rescale...

In my experience old ebony scales oiled with fine machine oil or oter petrol derived oils smell distinctly of ...well not like cigars but they do smell

WOAH !! stop with the chemicals..... If it isn't rotting it will soon.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

WOAH !! stop with the chemicals..... If it isn't rotting it will soon.

Wash with warn water and get all that off yesterday. Then lets see some pics. What kind of razor? What kind of scales? You may not have a problem but you sure can create one quickly enough.

It might just have belonged to a heavy smoker. That yellow, oily film gets everywhere, even stains glass.

If the blade has no tarnish/pitting coinciding with where the scales cover it, then it probably isn'cell rot.

To find out more about cell rot use the search facility on this site.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

It might just have belonged to a heavy smoker. That yellow, oily film gets everywhere, even stains glass.

If the blade has no tarnish/pitting coinciding with where the scales cover it, then it probably isn'cell rot.

To find out more about cell rot use the search facility on this site.

Regards,
Neil

It seems i had a bad understanding of the meaning of "cell rot aka celului rot" i just cleared that up

You still never want to put any kind of solvents or harsh chemicals on your razors. I can't think of any scale material that would stand up to the the chemical warfare you went after it with :<0) Is it okay or do we need to start a memorial thread ?

The razors I have had that exhibited cell rot had really nothing consistent to identify the problem. Really advanced cases are easier to identify. Often times celluloid will have a vinegar type smell when it deteriorates but don't bet on it. The only tried and true way to identify it is if you see rust or pits that seem to appear for no reason and you clean it up and it quickly reappears you can be sure it's cell rot.

I soaked it in warm water. The smell is still present. I took a few pics to show the blade and scales.

I think they may just be stinky scales