Thread: Celluloid scales breaking down and rusting blade.

I have in the past read about celluloid scales starting to break down and emitting some type of gas that will start to rust the blade.
While looking thru my collection to pick out razors to post on the Show & Tell forum I found a Carl Monkhouse razor with a blade that was rusted and pitted on the lower half of the blade. I think that I can grind out the rust and pits but don't remember if one can then coat the blade with a light grease or something to prevent any further rusting.
I also remember someone saying that since this razor's scales are already emitting this gas that it should not be placed near any other blades as it will also rust them.
I would like to keep the scales but don't know if I can for sure. Maybe I can keep the razor isolated if the grease on the blade will protect the blade. How far away from another razor can I store this to prevent it from rusting another blade.
Does anyone have any more experience in this area?

Bill here is a pretty good thread about cell rot with Pics

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-d-repair.html

There is no saving the scales take them off and toss them, clean up the razor and move on.... Save the blade the scales are done for it it is Celluloid Rot.....

Thanks Glen. I just looked at the inside of the scales and they look perfect and there is no smell at all I even pinched the scales to see if they would crumble and nothing they are still somewhat pliable. I think that I am going to clean the blade, isolate the razor, and observe to see what happens if anything.

If anyone else has anything please submit it. I am finding out that not many know much about this subject.

let me give you my experience. I have a revisor Gold and the scales are the turtle type celluloid and they look perfect no smell nothing. I started noticing an area towards the toe of the blade about the size of a pea that was being eaten out. I cleaned the area polished it and put it back and checked a couple months later and there it was again. So I cleaned and polished it and put it away and a few months later the area had come back and grown and I had some rust streaks in addition. I trashed the scales and replaced them and the razor is fine. When celluloid starts to go sometimes its not the whole scale. It can start in a small area of the scale and slowly progress. In can be very incedious. It doesn't always just go all at once so you always have to inspect your celluloid. Once it starts its just like cancer. There's no stopping it. If that's your problem you must get rid of those scales and in the meantime keep the razor far away from any other celluloid or other razors for that matter.

I had 2 NOS Dubl Duck Satin Baby's with transparent celluloid scales that started to turn color, gave off a gas and pitted the blades!. Bummer!
The scales were removed, promptly trashed, and the blades were cleaned up and rescaled by Joe Chandler.

My advice would be to play it safe.

Thanks guys for all of the advice it has been great. I am going to experiment to the extent that I don't ruin the blade but am going to isolate it from the rest of my flock. I am going to clean the blade and then watch it, now that I know it could possibly have this cancer, just to see what happens.