Thread: Choji Oil vs Camellia Oil

Team,

I have been using Choji oil for a while on my razors. A friend of mine recently told me that clove oil in its pure form is very acidic by itself and can damage an edge.

Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about this one way or another?

Thanks.

I use choji oil exclusively on all my blades and have never had a problem. of course, most choji oils are just plain 'ole mineral oil with a few drops of clove oil for scent.

Not a problem with the stuff.

Originally Posted by Alembic

Team,



[...] I know you [...] sell Camellia oil.

We do?

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

We do?

Ah yes - the joys of forgetting to proof read. I started this as a PM to Lynn and decided to cut and paste it into a Forum post, forgetting to go back and change the language - sorry!

Originally Posted by Alembic

Ah yes - the joys of forgetting to proof read. I started this as a PM to Lynn and decided to cut and paste it into a Forum post, forgetting to go back and change the language - sorry!

No problem. I figured there was some sort of wire crossed... just wondered what the back-story was.

Originally Posted by Alembic

Team,

I have been using Choji oil for a while on my razors. A friend of mine recently told me that clove oil in its pure form is very acidic by itself and can damage an edge.

I know you use and sell Camellia oil. Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about this one way or another?

Thanks.

Any "oil" that has a name that includes a plant, like "olive" or "clove" or "camellia" is actually a fat rather than an oil. As a fat, it is composed of glycerol and fatty acids. Over time, the fat breaks down and becomes more acidic and this can cause corrosion. That being said, I highly doubt it is an issue in the time frame of exposure for most razors.

I dipped my razors in diluted olive oil for about 5 years until Terry Knipschield pointed out to me that it could be corrosive. Since that time I switched to diluted mineral oil, which is an actual oil.

I don't know the relative merits or drawbacks of Camellia oil, but I do like it and it's thickness for protecting my razors. I bought tiny bottles of it from OLD_SCHOOL in Japan.

The only downside of this Camellia oil is that I have two cats that for some reason can't resist licking the razors I treat with Camellia oil. It must smell like food to them or something. I literally have to smack them to keep them away from it, they like it that much. Crazy.

Perhaps cat spit is corrosive, I don't know.

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

The only downside of this Camellia oil is that I have two cats that for some reason can't resist licking the razors I treat with Camellia oil. It must smell like food to them or something. I literally have to smack them to keep them away from it, they like it that much. Crazy.

Perhaps cat spit is corrosive, I don't know.

You know cat tongues are rough. Three words: cat tongue hone!
What is the grit range of cat tongues?
Rougher for tomcats, smother for persians.