Thread: severe rust after 3 days

I just read this whole thread, then went back to look at the razor again & to me it looks like something was sprayed on or near it. If you look at the tang, there is a straight line of rust like it got there with the blade closed. I would say the same thing Tom said but why would it look like that & not be rusty all over?
Who knows, she may have been snooping while cleaning!

By chance do you know what kind of leather the case is.You see this a lot on carbon steel knives when the wrong leather is used .Vegetable tanned leather is the only leather that should be used.I've seen folks make a sheath out of chrome tanned or garment leather and the chemicals used reacte with the moisture in the air and create corrosive film that's extremely hard on carbon steel,I've seen it eat up a well oiled blade.

That would be my guess too. The rust pattern seems to be in the exposed areas.

Ditch the leather case . I would not send it to the same guy that sold it to you if they also sold you that case with it.

fixable for sure. I'm a newbie, and have purchased about 15 vintage razors to date. almost every one of them looked worse than this, and I shave with all of them. This can certainly be salvaged.

My recommendation would be to ditch the leather case as well. Get yourself a cigar box that has the plastic cigar holders in them. They make perfect slots to rest your straight razors. Any water left on your razor will evaporate and eliminate rusting like this. I've had no issues so far...
I always shave after my shower. After shaving, I use a terry cloth towel to wipe any water off the blade. Set it on my dresser to air dry while I get ready. 10 min later I put it away in the cigar box. By then most all of the water has evaporated. Also, I never dip my scales in water. I don't want any water droplets getting between the scales that could rust my blade. So perhaps this is where your issue lies. If your are dipping your scales in water, and not drying between your scales after each shave, the water in the scales will rust your blade.

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!!
I've had a stuffed up sinus the last couple of weeks. This morning, as I was using my sinus wash bottle, I thought of a comment someone made that that salt was the only thing he could think of that could cause damage this severe this quickly. Sinus wash is a saline solution! Here is what I am certain must have happened:
I shaved, cleaned and oiled the razor and put it away in its case
I used the sinus wash and got some solution on the counter when rinsing the wash bottle
Maid came in later moving stuff around to clean and go the leather case wet with the sinus wash saline solution.
My blade spent the next three days sitting in a leather case wet on one side with salt water.
It was dry and rusted by the time I pulled it out ... the oil had not been enough to protect it from the salt water.

Indeed the leather case does show signs of having been wet on one side. The blade was rusted more on one side, and the grain on the inside of the case explains the rust pattern in general.

So there is really no one or nothing here to blame but me. I have learned a very valuable lesson ... no more leather cases and will now be very careful about the proximity of saline solutions and other chemicals.

Many thanks for all the help here. I screwed up, but at least I know enough now to not repeat the same rookie mistake in the future.

Glad the mystery is solved. This is also useful information that we all can benefit from too.

So what are your plans for that razor? Fixing it, I'm guessing? Doing it yourself or sending it out?

Hard lesson to learn but you are not alone in that most of us have learned lessons the hard way too. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Bob

I have worked with metal most of my life & always loved polished & clean metal. First as a drummer in several bands & later as a machinist & black/blade smith. I have bought all kinds of metal polish & the best I have found for any metal is "Nu-Finish car polish. You can find it for $10.00 or less & this stuff really works. From polishing my car, cymbals, knives & razors to the bell & whistle on a steam locomotive i helped restore. Nu-Finish has always worked for me. I have never had a rust problem when using it or had any problems with skin contact on my razors.
Protect your metal with Nu-Finish! Look for a bright orange can or bottle in the car wax Dept. I get mine at "Big Lot's"

Slawman

Been giving that some thought. I think Im gonna start researching restoration and give it a shot myself. Ill probably go ahead and start looking for another to use while Im restoring so that I don't rush myself. Im thinking maybe hand polishing it a little day by day till I get all the rust and as much of the pits gone as possible then learn how to put an edge on it. Gotta do some research on what restoration entails . . .

Originally Posted by Willisf

Glad the mystery is solved. This is also useful information that we all can benefit from too.

So what are your plans for that razor? Fixing it, I'm guessing? Doing it yourself or sending it out?