Thread: do we baby our razors?

I could imagine someone one hundred years ago finishing a shave, wiping their razor and then leaving it on the counter to air dry. Of course I could also imagine their kids getting a hiding if they touched Dad's razor. I don't have the luxury of being able to leave my stuff lying around and not have someone break it. So I have to rely on the more modern method of using a hair dryer.

Originally Posted by Otto

My great-grandfather took good care of ALL his tools. The toss it away attitude is just for the young punks of the generation that is growing up now.

Word Sir Otto!
And they threw away Respect for themselves and others with it IMHO!

I believe "back in the day people looked after everything they had better than is the "Norm" today

1 thing I do know is That I look after the things I care about, and that includes my Razors be it a Antique Wade and Butcher or a made this year Dovo.

You Only ever get as much out of something as you put in. ..Ya.......Dig

Just for clarification, I didn't mean that the people of old just dipped it in a bucket of water and tossed it in a drawer for the next day. I simply meant that we take extreme pains to make sure every inch inside and out is bone dry, we give them a thorough stropping before and after every shave, have them honed twice a year, and coat them in oil while not being used.

I am positive that people "back in the day" took great care of their razors. I just doubt they went to the extreme lengths we do today.

I don't see how making sure you tool is dry before putting it away is extreme.....

I'm just saying, I doubted the took scraps of toilet paper and slid them in next to the pivot pin to remove every trace of water then oiled the blades. Which is why most vintage blades have at least a little discoloration or rust/pitting on the blade/tang/near the pivot hole.

I'm really not trying to say that they didn't care for them, just that they didn't spend 15 minutes after the shave on it.

I dont spend 15 mins, I just wipe with Tissue, blow through the scales around the pivot, strop on linen, wipe all over and place it on the shelf with the rotation. thats not too much.

I must however confess to finding myself picking through them, and opening 1 up, tpt then shaving a little arm/leg/chest/stomach hair, wiping the dead skin off on my shorts, and placing it back, facing the right way, pivot to the right side up, so if they were open you could read any etching and the makers marks on the tang though!
Hahahahaha

I baby my razors, after all they are antiques. I would imagine that back in the old days they took good care of their razors. I think they probably took better care of all of their possessions than most people in our "throw away" culture.

They probably didn't put the value on it that we do because at that time they were not thought of as a finite resource.

I have a couple I baby due to their monetary value but for the most part I wipe them off with a towel, give them a quick strop and let them dry. After a while, possibly a few days or more, depending on when I plan to use them again I'll give them a wipe with camellia oil and put them in a box or drawer. I don't really do the whole blow on the scales thing or meticulously wipe them down.

So far the only problem I've had is with a couple very old blades that seem to be prone to rapid corrosion. They need an oil wipe down almost immediately. I assume the carbon content of the steel is different somehow. Since these are both blades from the mid 1800s there must have been some kind of practice used to prevent this from happening? Oil of some type I suspect otherwise these would have a very usable short life.

I baby the ones I have because I only have three and can't afford to accumulate masses of them if they get damaged due to poor care. It's also fairly clear that they were kept in proper condition long before they ever came to me - I'd like to think whoever got them after me could say the same.

Julian

Originally Posted by DogHair

So far the only problem I've had is with a couple very old blades that seem to be prone to rapid corrosion. They need an oil wipe down almost immediately. I assume the carbon content of the steel is different somehow. Since these are both blades from the mid 1800s there must have been some kind of practice used to prevent this from happening? Oil of some type I suspect otherwise these would have a very usable short life.

I have a Wade Butcher from the early 1800's and I have not oiled it since I finished its restore a few weeks ago, its sat happily on the shelf after being dried, and its not marked up at all (bugger I have to go check now!...back in a minute............ no its still good! lol)
And a Kaufman from between the wars that seems to almost start to stain when you use it if you take too long