Thread: Advice Request: Razors Rusting

So first, photos would be helpful and second I would suspect the Barbarsol.

Why are you dipping in Barbarsol after each use if you are the only one using the razor.

Are you shaving post shower with high humidity in the room?

It may be the razor, is it happening with just one razor?

By the way, is this like old-car rust (i.e. reddish and lumpy) or more like stains or dark spots (grey-black and flat).

Ok: attached is a picture of the spots I'm seeing. They are flat and do not have any perceptible texture to them. I haven't shaved today, so these are post oiling/rubbing with a cloth. Also, this razor has been sitting with a coat of mineral oil for a few days, and honestly it looks WAY better than it did when I put it away...

I don't think it's the barbasol. The spots develop before I dunk it in the barbasol solution. As to why I do it? Well it really has to do with me being a near 20 year medical provider who has a particular aversion to germs. Couple that with the anti rust/lubrication properties of barbasol and the fact that the human face is perpetually touched and a great place for germs to accumulate? ... I'm not going to tell anyone else what to do, but I've seen too many instances of flesh eating bacteria and other nasties to take any chances, especially when I'm exposed to this stuff every day... It just takes one careless touch, one door handle, one casual eye rub... And yes, I am neurotic... ;-)

The spots don't change when scraped, and even flitz's seems to take quite a bit of rubbing to get them off. They have a reddish tinge to them, but the volcanic rock out here tends to leave reddish spots...

After all the suggestions, I'm really leaning towards hard water.... But maybe the pics will provide some more insight?

If it is hard water, does anyone have any super ways to get rid of such spots?

Oh, and I do shave post shower: room definitely has high humidity, but the razor stays in the airtight box until I start shaving, gets dried off and put back after, and is never stored in bathroom. Maybe 15 mins total high humidity/high heat exposure.

And it has happened to all my razors thus far... All quality high carbon blades from different manufacturers.

Well I think the mystery is 99% solved. I shaved today with a brand new razor I'd been saving, very similar in construction to the other razors I had been using, albeit from a different maker.

This time I used all distilled water: distilled water for lather, for rinsing the blade, for soaking the brush, etc. Everything else was the same: the same soap, same brush, same shower/shave routine, same exposure to the elements, relatively the same environment... And ZERO spots! ... All that remains is to try one of the razors that rusted/spotted before that I've cleaned, but this is the first out of a handful which have not shown the spotting/rusting immediately upon being used to shave.

Strop them after use, wrap them with toilet paper, put titanium oxide powder on them for long term storage. These are what I do.

Originally Posted by Pinacle72

Well I think the mystery is 99% solved. I shaved today with a brand new razor I'd been saving, very similar in construction to the other razors I had been using, albeit from a different maker.

This time I used all distilled water: distilled water for lather, for rinsing the blade, for soaking the brush, etc. Everything else was the same: the same soap, same brush, same shower/shave routine, same exposure to the elements, relatively the same environment... And ZERO spots! ... All that remains is to try one of the razors that rusted/spotted before that I've cleaned, but this is the first out of a handful which have not shown the spotting/rusting immediately upon being used to shave.

but this is also the only razor you have used with distilled water right ?

hopefully you have figured it out so you can protect those shiny blades !!

I had the same problem with one of my razors. I think I let it sit too long with water on it while honing other razors. I will dry each one after I finish honing them from now on. I was restoring a few that I recently acquired so I was going from bevel setting each razor then on to the next hone etc... Only one of them got stains on it but I will be more careful next time.
Good luck with it.

Guys lets keep it civil, I'd hate to have to lock the thread because of the way some are acting here.

I've pretty much given up on the spot issue. I have a water softener and I still get the spots. Typical metal polish like Simichrome will remove them but it's not easy. Cape Cod Polishing Cloths do a better job.