Thread: Keeping ahead of tarnish

Carbon steel will darken no matter what you do & carbon steel will begin rusting at 40% RH . Oil will however prevent rust but not tarnish.

I reckon people who don't oil their razors have some kind of 'Dorian Gray' painting in their attics that decays while their razors stay perfect... or they control the humidity some how .

Originally Posted by dcaven

I normally touch of my razors every two to three months but am finding that they are tarnishing pretty quickly. I can get the tarnish off with metal polish but that dulls the edge and I have to hone from the beginning, resetting the bevel, etc. I am putting mineral oil on each razor once it is dry after each use. Is there something else I could be doing? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Geezer

I have a large squeeze bottle like a catsup one from the drive in. Not used as a sprayer, but It is filled to the top with 190 Proof Vodka and two teaspoons of mineral oil. The oil disperses through the alcohol and the alcohol absorbs water. I keep it capped except when dipping a razor into it.
Only grain alcohol will hold almost its own mol weight in water and starting with, effectively, no moisture at all in the mix means that the razor dipped into will be dry and have a rally thin coat of oil applied.
A friend did this for years. He then experienced a problem with another type of alcohol. I only use the mix during really humid conditions and when a razor is going to be out of the rotation for a while.
YMMV
~Richard

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I seem to remember a trend or craze several years ago of filling a 3 inch deep container with alchohol and dripping some mineral oil on top of the alchohol, then dipping the length of the blade vertically through the oil and into the alchohol. Then withdrawing the blade vertically through the oil thereby coating the entire length of the blade with oil.

I tried this method and didn't see any problems with it. Today I prefer coating my baldes with TufGlide, Mineral Oil or Rem Oil.

I don't see any rust or tarnish as a result of the aforementioned methods. Again, YMMV...............
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P. S. : Stick with Geezer, he does more research than I do. I am like a free spirit. He is more like a scientist. Smart man...............

I had wondered about this myself. I use camellia oil. If lightly applied, I haven't seen any rust or tarnish. Some razors haven't been touched for almost a year and still look great. I was told it's the same remedy the Japanese used on their samurai blades.

Originally Posted by FacialDirt

I had wondered about this myself. I use camellia oil. If lightly applied, I haven't seen any rust or tarnish. Some razors haven't been touched for almost a year and still look great. I was told it's the same remedy the Japanese used on their samurai blades.

The saya (scabbard) of J swords is also made of Paulownia wood which absorbs moisure protecting the blade.
There's an idea make a razor box out of it.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

The saya (scabbard) of J swords is also made of Paulownia wood which absorbs moisure protecting the blade.
There's an idea make a razor box out of it.

hey that's a great idea!
gotta say, I had never thought of doing that- making the razor storage out of a wood that absorbs moisture. it seems like a no brainer...... or am I the no brainer?

marine grade tuf cloth for my razors.

I am away from the bulk of my razors for long periods of time, only checking them every 6 or so months. All they get when I do see them is a fresh rub of renaissance wax and some TufGlide on the pivot. Yet to see any degradation.

Iron and Oxygen just go together like...well, pizza and beer or steak and potatoes.

As soon as the metal is exposed to the air rust starts to form. You can't see it's because it's microscopic but it's there. Short of sealing the metal in some neutral environment like Argon Gas you can't stop the process only slow it down. Even temp and humidity controlled chambers won't stop it completely.

One of the rarest minerals found in nature is Native Iron (of terrestrial origin).

Originally Posted by mrsell63

_SNIP ....
P. S. : Stick with Geezer, he does more research than I do. I am like a free spirit. He is more like a scientist. Smart man...............

Don't I wish~ If I wonder, I look it up, and its settled by post count!
Richard