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I want to prevent pitting and rust on my straight razor, I've heard about ensuring the blade is completely dry, however my house gets quite humid and therefore drying the blade doesn't completely stop the problem. I have also heard of coating the blade in oil however I wondered if placing the razor in a solution of Barbicide would also negate the problems in the difficult to get to parts of the razor?
Barbicide is just a disinfectant. Period. Tuf-Glide or any type of gun oil will work. Many people just use mineral oil. If you have a gun safe with a dehumidifying rod would be perfect. A box with a dehumidifying agent would work. Whatever works for you. What I do is when using my razor, when I rinse lather off my razor it is blade down, then wipe with towel, each time. I do not allow water to run down the blade to the pivot. Each and every time! It works for me!
Mike
I have experimented with Barbicide and carbon steel (a broken Opinel knife) because of all the contradicting info I'd read. The short version - the blade began to rust in less than 12 hours. Barbicide is not intended to be used to store metal.Quote:
Originally Posted by dudestyle01
When it gets humid where I live, I use a light coat of conservators wax.
Attachment 179911I just got this antique MAX MERGENBAUM razor, it's in real nice condition and I don't want to damage it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dudestyle01
Wow - what a great looking blade!!
I throw on one drop, one single drop of oil on my blades when I am about to store them. Of course I rub the oil about to cover the entire blade, but honest, I don't use much. I leave said blades in my den which doesn't have an exhaust fan - it works fine. It's all I have ever needed.
Blades that are in my rotation see me do nothing more than wipe them dry. They'll be in my den in this state for weeks on end and I have yet to see one rust.
Thanks for that ear cutter, I've heard olive oil is good..... I will only use extra virgin of course :) I've been using a Gissen and Forstorff for a few years and it has got a bit pitted I will take real good care of this baby.Quote:
Originally Posted by earcutter
dry it well when you use it - hair dryer even,
then store it in a silicon sleeve in a box etc not in your bathroom & with a water absorbing product also to be 100%
beautiful blade by the way
Edit: I have read many times that using olive oils etc isn't to good for your blades as it can go rancid in storage
Mineral oils like singer sewing machine oil or tuf glide etc are recommended
I personally would use reniseuance wax as a coating to protect it rather than oil
I keep my razors in a foam lined box with a silica gel packet from a shoe box ( the tiny inch square ones) and they are fine. I recently used a razor that has been in there for a year without being touched and it was fine. I should add that I don't rinse my razors, i just wipe them off, though that does mean that they get the odd tarnish spot on them.
I used oil for a while and still had some issues with rust. I have switched to drying and storing in sack-ups. I bought the Large size sack-up for 8 inch fixed blades which can hold four razors with a little modification
Beautiful razor, feel free to send it to me and I'll keep it in a nice dry place. :)
It gets pretty humid in my workshop as well, I wipe down my nice wood working knives with gun oil and store them in plastic air tight containers with silicon desiccant packs.
No rust even in 90% humidity for days on end during the summer. The desiccant that I used comes from a hobby store, it is used to dry out flowers and changes colors when
it is full of water.
It's cheap and effective.
Immersing in Barbicide has the same effect as immersing in water with a bit of ethanol in it.
I use a 2 oz spray bottle with Balistol; dry the razor after use with a towel, then with tissue paper between the scales, and spray blade and shank lightly with Balistol before I wipe off the excess oil.
As some people don't like the smell of Balistol; camellia or some gun oils are other suitable alternatives, while baby oil, WD-40, or similar oils either cover the blade unevenly (baby oil forms small beads on the blade) or may not have been evaluated for possible negative health effects (WD-40).
Storing in a moist bathroom is also not recommended, a drier environment like bedroom or study might be more appropriate.
I life half a mile from the sea and have noticed no rust or pitting on any of my 30-odd razors protected this way.
It adds a minute or two after the shave, but is IMO worth it.
If you are so inclined, consider a stainless steel razor. Good ones can easily compete with carbon straights.
Conventional wisdom has it that they are slightly more labor-intensive to hone, but they hold their edge longer.
Aust and Dovo produce stainless steel straight razors; vintage stainless straights like Henckels Zwilling are deservedly popular too.
B.
stainless will rust also if not taken care of just a thought tc
True, hence the name: stainless, not rust-free.Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
It is safe to say though that, due to the composition of the steel, razors made from stainless steel are much less prone to corrosion.
I also use Balistol on my razors. I like it because it doesn't get "gummy" or sticky and can be used for short term or long term storage.
I guess I'm fortunate. I have central air and heat. All I do with any of my "users" is run HOT tap water over the blade. I don't get the pivot or scales wet when shaving or rinsing. Anyway, I get the blade as hot as the tap water will get it, no idea what the temp of the water is but it's too hot to hold your hand under, then wipe it off on a dry towel, set it out open while I'm rinsing out my brush and putting up my toys. I then move the razor to my big Plano tackle box that I use to keep my razors in. I set it in the top shelf still open and close it when I grab another one to shave with.
Two years and no rust or water spots on any my users.
Those that don't get used regularly, get wiped with mineral oil and stay in one of the snap top boxes.
that's gorgeousQuote:
Originally Posted by dudestyle01
Just as an aside there is really no one singular steel "stainless steel". There is an almost infinite variety of alloys termed stainless steel depending on the amount of nickel and chrome. In Germany they make a stainless alloy used for the outer hull of submarines which is virtually rust proof. They use it in current construction of U boats.I don't know if it would make a good razor. They also use it for watch cases.Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
THe 300 series stainless steels are pretty much rust proof. They're used in marine and food grade applications.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
Unfortunately, they aren't suitable for cutlery other than table knives and the like.
For storage, ziplock bags with dessicant packs. One can buy bulk dessicant and make your own packs of different sizes. I use then to keep many objects safe and dry in the house.
