Thread: Blade Scum

I'm meticulous about maintaining my razors. But, try as I might, they have a haze or scum on the blade after shaving. I rinse them in hot water and dry the blades then apply oil. Still, it hangs on. Is there something I'm missing to prevent this? On plain blades like my Luer I could do anything, but etched gold washed blades like my Gotta need special consideration to preserve the gold. Thanks in advance.

I haven't experienced this so I can't help. Could it be the water ? Hot water and a good wipe should clean up any soap residue. I always give a razor 20 or 30 on the leather following the rinse and wipe too.

+1 with what Jimmy said about your water; it may have a high level of particulate contamination. For example, Los Angeles water has about 500 ppm of contaminants, while Yuma AZ has 1000! You might try wiping the blade with rubbing alcohol before drying it, which would remove more scum than hot water alone. Just keep it off the scales. Don't you use alcohol to remove the oil you put on the blade after the previous shave, anyway? I have heard that oil residue on a blade can actually trap small droplets of water on the metal, and contribute to blade staining.

Try using a small amount of washing up liquid in some mineral water or disttilled water to wash the blades, and if this helps then it is your local water supply.

I have very hard water. I get the scum on my blade and on the handle of my brush. If I wipe it down right after shaving, it cleans off easily. If I wait, it quickly becomes a problem to clean off