Thread: Care for a straight razor.

I just received my first straight razor which is a ralf aust 6/8 with a carbon blade. I did my first shave and it went perfectly as planned. However, I was wondering how to clean it so I don't have to worry about rust.

Rinse it well under hot water and wipe dry. The blade will be very warm which will help evaporate any moisture. I keep a soft cotton rag lightly soaked with gun oil in a dish to wipe the blade again. Fool proof...........

Make sure it is dry. Try not to get any water in the scales or pivot. I store mine in sack-ups. A drop of oil on the razor and another on the pivot or tuff-glide works. Store them in a dry place.

There are about 1 million answers to your question, but MrSell63 has cut to the chase....keep it dry, store it away from the bathroom....open for a while after shaving, I'd add. I don't use oil except for long term storage and I've never had staining or rust.

A tip: If you use the search box at the upper right of the page and type in 'caring for a straight razor', you will see dozens of threads and hundreds of specific suggestions...

Enjoy your razor and your reading!

Hi Owen,

MrSell tells ya right. He's probably our most experienced straight shaver, having used & collected since '69. I never thought of using really hot water so it heated (and helped dry) the blade. 'Dang good idea.

+1 on hot water and dry. I like to give mine a few laps on the strop after that to make sure that the bevel is totally clean. Then I let it sit out partially open to fully air dry.

I started storing my razors in a glass jar with some desiccant inside. Rinse, wipe with tissue till "dry", then place in the desiccant jar to avoid condensation.

Just thinking about trying the renaissance wax, anybody have any info about it good or bad?

Originally Posted by cubancigar2000

Just thinking about trying the renaissance wax, anybody have any info about it good or bad?

I just had a custom razor built, and the advice I was given was to match the protectant to the blade finish. It was a consideration in which finish I ended up choosing; for mirror finish, I was told not much was needed between shaves except a good wipe and dry, but use the wax for longer storage. For a brush finish, oil works better for care and storage as it gets deeper into the brush micro-crevices, and likely needed to be applied ina light layer every 3 or 4 shaves as the brushed finishes are more prone to rust. Regardless of which finish, I also like to do as BeJay sugested; a few quick laps on the strop before putting it away to ensure the bevel is dry and clean.

One thing that I didn't do well at the beginning was wipe close to the edge.
Soap scum will start to stain right near the edge where beginners are hesitant to wipe.
I was so scared of damaging the edge I didn't wipe there but that came back to haunt me. You gotta wipe it all...
I rinse and then either clean with hand soap or alcohol, then rinse with hot water. I then apply tuf glide.
I live by the coast and things rust exponentially faster than when I lived in the dessert.
Have fun!