Gunk on vintage razors......what gives?

There have been many of the vintage razors I've purchased that have had obvious shaving residue on them. Mainly in the stabilizer bar crevices and on the toe/tip of the razor. Old lather, whiskers, skin cells I'm sure.

Is there anyone of you that leaves that crud on their razors after finishing a shave? Not I. I would venture to guess that virtually all of us if not all of us clean and dry our razors well before putting them away.

I wonder why razor crud was so common? Even at "$3 per razor" back in those days I don't think they were anywhere near as inexpensive that they could be treated as disposable.

I can't help but wonder if any such razors were that way because their owner kacked halfway through a shave and their family sold the razor post mortem? Ok, it's a stretch, but I still think it's weird.

Chris L

Dry wipe your razor instead of rinsing it between strokes sometime.

Then look at it under a scope.

Odds are there's some soap film and maybe a bit of skin still there.

I get a lot of those just like described - badly gummed up etc. I think it's feasible to suppose that the owner had maybe just been given a brand new shiny DE as a present and just chucked the poor old SR in a drawer as a piece of redundant junk - as it indeed would have been at the time. Who knows?

I think people back then were not so terribly pedantic.
When I remember back, my grandparents had a dry toilet,
my grandfather shaved in the kitchen
and his little boar brush stood there with the lather still in until the next time.
Guys were not into household chores like cleaning generally
and the razor wasn't grandmother's concern.
So it possibly fell behind.

For many people a razor is just a simple utility item that really doesn't cost much and doesn't require much consideration or care. I tend to collect safety razors and since the value of those is typically low when new, or used to be anyway, that folks often just used em and threw em in the drawer! I have picked some up and thrift shops or garage sales that just oozed crud and crap. Astonishing how filthy some I find are.

As collectors and connaisseurs of razors and razor products, most of us are probably quite vigilant in keeping our equipment clean. We appreciate the look and design of such items and take care of them. But for the rest of the population - have you checked your hair brush lately??:shrug: And, I have seen toothbrushes that folks stick in their mouths that would scare the average family dawg.

I agree. Years ago a razor was a common tool and most hated using it anyway so it was get done as fast as possible, rinse it off and put it away. If the average dude in the early 1900s visited this site they would be laughing their butts off at us.