HELP! Should my razor be rusting this fast?

Hi! My name is Zach, I've been a long time reader, but never posted. After reading about all of the posts about starting to shave with a straight, I started a few months ago. A friend of mine is a barber, and he told me to use a real cheap one with disposable blades in it. I actually, did NOT enjoy using that!
ANYWAYS, my girlfriend bought me this for my birthday.
American Made 2" Strop & Dovo 6/8 "Bismarck" Engravable Bone Razor Heirloom Set

It's the Dovo 6/8 Bismarck straight razor. Obviously I was really excited!
After my first shave, I made sure to dry the razor off, let it sit. About an hour later, I put it in the case it came in. I didn't actually open it for about a week after that. It already had rust on both sides of the blade.

So I have a couple of questions.
I talked to a guy I know, and he said that doesn't sound right, and it could of been imperfections in the steel, before I ever got it.

Or, did I just mess up somewhere?

Is that guy right? Should I talk to Classic Shaving and see? Or, did I just mess up!?
If so, how do I get that rust off? it's not TOO bad, but I hate it!

Thanks!! Just let me know anything you guys can!

The guy is wrong. I'm sorry to say that you messed up. Dovos are high carbon steel and they can rust if not properly protected. No matter how dry you thought it was, there is always a thin coating of water left on the blade. Then you trapped it in the case the razor came in. That thing is close enough to air tight that you created a moisture chamber.

It is much better to leave the razor out in the air to make sure it is completely dry. If you bathroom has high humidity, store the razor outside of it. If you are worried about corrosion, there are lots of oiling/protection options that you can find with a quick search of this site. I do something unusual and dip my blades in isopropyl alcohol containing 0.5% mineral oil. The alcohol dries the blade completely as it evaporates and the oil residue protects the blade.

As far as cleaning up your blade, photos will help you get the best advice. Unfortunately that razor has gold wash so that complicates rust removal. you can use a Q-tip with Maas, Flitz, or a similar metal polish to try to spot remove the rust.

WARNING: Be careful with the metal polish. It will remove the gold wash very quickly.

If you let the razor sit open for an hour i would exspect it to be dry(did you dry between the scales?)

Pick up some metal polish(Maas) and see if you can rub off the rust with a tissue

the razor you linked is not shave ready so you should have it honed professionally

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Originally Posted by Utopian

I do something unusual and dip my blades in isopropyl alcohol containing 0.5% mineral oil. The alcohol dries the blade completely as it evaporates and the oil residue protects the blade.

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I'm intrigued, is that something you mix up yourself? Do you dip then wipe, or just let it air dry? Any effects of the alchohol on etching or scale materials? Thanks.

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Originally Posted by chay2K

I'm intrigued, is that something you mix up yourself? Do you dip then wipe, or just let it air dry? Any effects of the alchohol on etching or scale materials? Thanks.

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Yes, I've been making/using this myself for about 8 years. It's approximately one part mineral oil to two hundred parts alcohol. It takes several days for the oil to dissolve and if you put too much in it won't all dissolve, but that's not a problem--you just shake it like oil and vinegar dressing.

I dip and wipe to remove soap residue, then I dip again and let it air dry with the razor open. Evaporation only takes a couple minutes. I have never seen any ill effect on any etching or metallic part. I don't dip the scales so this does not protect the pivot area. I rely upon not getting that area wet in the first place. I suspect most scale materials would be unaffected but I've never been in the mood to experiment with finding out which they are.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Yes, I've been making/using this myself for about 8 years. It's approximately one part mineral oil to two hundred parts alcohol. It takes several days for the oil to dissolve and if you put too much in it won't all dissolve, but that's not a problem--you just shake it like oil and vinegar dressing.

I dip and wipe to remove soap residue, then I dip again and let it air dry with the razor open. Evaporation only takes a couple minutes. I have never seen any ill effect on any etching or metallic part. I don't dip the scales so this does not protect the pivot area. I rely upon not getting that area wet in the first place. I suspect most scale materials would be unaffected but I've never been in the mood to experiment with finding out which they are.

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Cool, I'm gonna give this a whirl. Much thanks for the info.

Kenny, do you have a photo of your razor? My first thought is that you had water and/or lather in the scales, which, when you closed the razor, then got on the blade.

Also, the question about where you store your razor is an important one - if you left it in a humid place, like the bathroom, that could do it too.

Extra protection, like Utopian's method, is never a bad idea, but if you are careful in caring for your razors, it's shouldn't be necessary.

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Originally Posted by janivar123

If you let the razor sit open for an hour i would exspect it to be dry(did you dry between the scales?)

Pick up some metal polish(Maas) and see if you can rub off the rust with a tissue

the razor you linked is not shave ready so you should have it honed professionally

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CAUTION!! If this is the Dovo Bismark I am thinking of metal polish will remove the gold wash, including the use of MAAS!

Another thing to consider as a cause for the rust may be the oils from your hands. After rinsing the blade and wiping it down avoid touching the metal as best you can. The other comments besides the Maas were good to consider also.

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I figured it was my fault, but I was just HOPING everyone would be like , Yeah send it back! it's their problem! But like most things in life, thats not true. Haha!

So what do you think I should use instead of the MAAS to remove the rust? Or should i just use that, but with a toothpick and be careful?

I stored the razor in it's case, but not a humid area. It was outside of the bathroom, on my desk.

I tried going to a Menards store for a rust remover, but had no luck finding anything really for steel.

Pretty scary stuff, because I don't want to mess up anything on the razor!

I always get flamed for this but I type this for the good of all mankind.
I never wash or rinse my razors off in running water. My blades never touch running water. I shave and wipe the lather off the blade on the back of my hand as I seen the barber do with no problem.
Use a small towel if using the back of you hand makes you nervous. Razors should not be placed in running water or rinsed in basins. Most of us shave half asleep and razors can get their edges dinged on basin surfaces and banged up. Not to mention that water causes blades to rust!
When I finish shaving, I wipe the blade with a couple of squares of tissue paper. No water or lather ever gets in between my scales.
Since the soaps I use have some type of oil as one of it's ingredients, any tiny(I mean tiny) traces of lather still on the blade will protect the surface until the next day. Do make sure you wipe the blade good as leaving lather on will cause rust.
Store you razor in an open space away from the bathroom. I store mine on the top shelf of my hallway closet.
Ernest

I am always afraid my blades will rust so what I have done I have a locking box only as I have kids but I put my razors in this wood box and it contains a rechargeable silica gel that sucks out all the humidity from the box so it is dry. The gel is used to prevent rust on firearms and you can get a small one cheap. Just check ebay for silica gel.

Hi,

WRT Bnicks post about storing his razors in a box with silica gel.

Has anybody used vapour phase inhibitors (VPI) in their razor storage containers ?

Years ago, engineering gauges, micrometers etc were supplied with squares of VPI impregnated paper in their cases, and they seemed to do a good job of preventing corrosion.

I think you can still get domestic VPI sachets for firearms (Napier makes one).

Does anybody know if these VPIs are compatible with synthetic scales ?

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Here is what I use I did not buy from this site just what I found on a search but is the same one I have and it is cheap and works great.

Hydrosorbent Silica Gel Desiccant 40 Gram (Protects 3 Cubic Feet) Canister - MidwayUSA

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Yes, I've been making/using this myself for about 8 years. It's approximately one part mineral oil to two hundred parts alcohol. It takes several days for the oil to dissolve and if you put too much in it won't all dissolve, but that's not a problem--you just shake it like oil and vinegar dressing.

I dip and wipe to remove soap residue, then I dip again and let it air dry with the razor open. Evaporation only takes a couple minutes. I have never seen any ill effect on any etching or metallic part. I don't dip the scales so this does not protect the pivot area. I rely upon not getting that area wet in the first place. I suspect most scale materials would be unaffected but I've never been in the mood to experiment with finding out which they are.

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I was wondering about dipping my razors into alcohol since it is hygroscopic. I never thought to dissolve oil into the alcohol. Makes me wonder about which oil would be best.
Good stuff!!

Does anyone use WD40 ?? The stuff displaces moisture (FYI, WD40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt), it was initially develloped in the 50's as a rust prevention agent for the aerospace industry.

I can't see why it couldn't work to get rid of the microscopic water particles left on a razor after shaving, the initial intent of WD40 WAS to do just that (well, for aircraft, not razors...)

I think i'll give it a try.

True but is it something you want to put on your face? Just my thought.

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Originally Posted by Glenn24

Does anyone use WD40 ?? The stuff displaces moisture (FYI, WD40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt), it was initially develloped in the 50's as a rust prevention agent for the aerospace industry.

I can't see why it couldn't work to get rid of the microscopic water particles left on a razor after shaving, the initial intent of WD40 WAS to do just that (well, for aircraft, not razors...)

I think i'll give it a try.

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Originally Posted by nicknbleeding

True but is it something you want to put on your face? Just my thought.

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Well, no...

Hopefully there would be nothing left, or only a negligible amount after wiping.

I'm willing to sacrifice my gorgeous hollywood face for the SRP community to try it. I hope I'm right !! :gl:

If you use the alcohol and oil dip, make sure it is 91% alcohol.

When I get a new razor I clean it off and use flitz on it (None gold wash blades) that leaves a wax layer on the blade. I then put a small drop of oil in each side of the pivot and work it in a little. wipe the excess off.
When I shave the blade does not hold water so it is less likely to get in the pivot. If water gets in the pivot. I hit it with compressed air. You can buy compressed air in the computer department in cans with a tube Then a drop of 91% alcohol on each side of the pivot and let it sit for a minute or 2. Then reoil the pivot.
Let the razor sit out open and air dry in a dry place. I store my razor in a wooden cigar box that has been sealed with polyurathan on the outside.
In the box I keep 5 packets of desicant.

So far I have never seen any sign of rust on any blade

I do recoat the blades with wax or flitz every 6 to 8 weeks.

Hope this helps some of you folks? :gl:


Silver2

An alternative to silica desiccant is plain old rice. It's easily accessible and if you occasionally swap it out, it's still edible.

Regarding use of oils, mineral oil is better than things like olive or grape seed oil, which are actually fats and will go rancid and acidic.

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Originally Posted by Glenn24

Well, no...

Hopefully there would be nothing left, or only a negligible amount after wiping.

I'm willing to sacrifice my gorgeous hollywood face for the SRP community to try it. I hope I'm right !! :gl:

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Well lets hope your Hollywood face goes unscathed. :)

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Originally Posted by Silver2

If you use the alcohol and oil dip, make sure it is 91% alcohol.

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That is not necessary. Lower concentrations will still work just fine.

I have some oxidization on one of my blades, grey color, not rust. I don't know how it got there, I'm very diligent when cleaning my straights. This one even gets regular applications of oil. I have heard that very fine steel wool will work to remove this, but that sounds sketchy to me. Is metal polish a better idea? Let me know your thoughts on this.

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Originally Posted by Firefighter2

I have some oxidization on one of my blades, grey color, not rust. I don't know how it got there, I'm very diligent when cleaning my straights. This one even gets regular applications of oil. I have heard that very fine steel wool will work to remove this, but that sounds sketchy to me. Is metal polish a better idea? Let me know your thoughts on this.

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In my opinion, it would be much safer to start with a metal polish like Maas, Flitz, or Simichrome.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

In my opinion, it would be much safer to start with a metal polish like Maas, Flitz, or Simichrome.

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I have two questions. Is any of the aforementioned better than the other? And, do they have an expiration date? I have a tube of Flitz that has to be be 15 years old.

Thanks

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Originally Posted by Mvcrash

I have two questions. Is any of the aforementioned better than the other? And, do they have an expiration date? I have a tube of Flitz that has to be be 15 years old.

Thanks

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I've only used Maas and Flitz. The Flitz was 15-20 years ago and not on razors. I would guess that they all work the same way and nearly equally well.:shrug:
Here comes another guess--if the stuff in the Flitz tube is still moist, then it is probably fine. If in doubt, try a little on your worst razor and see what happens. I highly doubt that it would transform into anything destructive.

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Originally Posted by KennyPowers

Thanks everyone!

I stored the razor in it's case, but not a humid area. It was outside of the bathroom, on my desk.

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The inside of the plastic (non-breathing) case was the "humid area". Just a little water, left between the scales, would evaporate, and give a nice damp atmosphere inside the case.

Rust is a bitch. I'm using an anti-corrosion oil ("Corrosion Block") now, on blades and pins, and hoping it works OK. I'll know in a year. There was recently a _long_ discussion of anti-rust compounds here. Search the Forums for "CLP" .

After reading your story, I might drill some ventilation holes in my plastic cases.

Charles

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Originally Posted by Firefighter2

I have some oxidization on one of my blades, grey color, not rust. I don't know how it got there, I'm very diligent when cleaning my straights. This one even gets regular applications of oil. I have heard that very fine steel wool will work to remove this, but that sounds sketchy to me. Is metal polish a better idea? Let me know your thoughts on this.

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IMHO --

If you use steel wool, you'll leave tiny scratches on the blade. And they'll trap water, and rust.

Preserve as much of the original, mirror-polished blade finish as you can. Flitz is much gentler than steel wool. It will remove most (or all) of the gray "patina", but leave the blade polished.

Charles

I also dip my blades in alcohol. No mineral oil though, I may give it a try. Perhaps a drop or two in the alcohol jar.

No kids in the house, so I leave my razors open over night for drying.

I've only had a problem with one razor. It has been treated and stored exactly the same as the others, but has a tendency to rust near the spine., at least it looks like rust. After I cleaned it up using MAAS the second time I've used oil on it.

As this razor gets exactly the same treatment as my other razors, and it has started to rust in the same place twice, I begin to think there is something about that portion of the blade. If I hadn't had it happen, I would have a difficult time believing this could happen, but I now know it can.

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Originally Posted by Glenn24

Well, no...

Hopefully there would be nothing left, or only a negligible amount after wiping.

I'm willing to sacrifice my gorgeous hollywood face for the SRP community to try it. I hope I'm right !! :gl:

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Ok, I tried WD40. Easy to apply, it's easy to sray the pivot, it seems to protect very well (no corrosion signs after letting the razor sit in a humid bathroom for a few days). But is STINKS. It seems to stick to the metal, it leaves a small film behind when you wipe it off. Which makes me beleive that you'd put WD40 on your strop when you're ready to shave....

So for long term storage, i'd say it could be an interesting product to use. But for a razor you'd use regularly, I'd say forget about it.

BUT, it could be interesting to use in the pivot if ever you spash some water there by accident, you know you'll be removing every little microscopic drop that's there because of the water displacement properties of WD40.

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Originally Posted by Hawkeye5

.. .

I've only had a problem with one razor. It has been treated and stored exactly the same as the others, but has a tendency to rust near the spine., at least it looks like rust. After I cleaned it up using MAAS the second time I've used oil on it.

As this razor gets exactly the same treatment as my other razors, and it has started to rust in the same place twice, I begin to think there is something about that portion of the blade. If I hadn't had it happen, I would have a difficult time believing this could happen, but I now know it can.

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I suspect a carbon inclusion could have that effect. You'd think that steel is a homogeneous material, but it isn't. The manufacturers try to keep the grains tiny, but nothing's perfect.

Oil should fix the problem.

Charles

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

I do something unusual and dip my blades in isopropyl alcohol containing 0.5% mineral oil. The alcohol dries the blade completely as it evaporates and the oil residue protects the blade.

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Some exchange w/ Utopian, to clarify some of the process for making the mineral oil/alch solution. 'Not knowing any better, took home a bottle of plain isopropyl from the supermarket, added plain mineral oil from the health/beauty products section of the same store (labeled as lubricant/laxitive ?) .005 x 32 oz of alch = .16 oz mineral oil to add. Since the thread spoke of anything less than 91% alch/oil should work, I added 1 tablespoon (which is about 1/2oz). 4 days of shaking the jar, I still had the salad dressing look, with oil globules floating. Some was no doubt in solution, but not all. The lovely bride uses denatured alcohol for an alcohol lamp because Isopropyl is usually only 70% alch. The rest is water. Denatured is mostly alch w/ some poisons added to keep folks from trying to drink it or convert to booze. They don't list the percentages, but it's supposedly a much higher concentration of alcohol.

'Took some home tonight from the home improvement section - about $12-13/gal, and a tablespoon with some agitation left zero globules. 'Not being one that knows when to quit, I added a 2nd tablespoon of oil and agitated. Still no globules. That would be 3 & 1/8% oil. I'll quit here.

One big benefit to Utopians method is that he doesn't have to wipe oil from the blade before stropping or use. That's a time saver. I hope the extra tablespoon of oil doesn't change that, or I'll remix with a single tablespoon & call it good.

UPdate:
Now this gets good. I was seeing no globules with the denatured. That's 'cause they were on the bottom, unlike the isopropyl - which were on the top. 'Nice physics experiment. oil floats on water, but alcohol, clearly floats on oil. At least any overage of oil will not get in the way, and as Utopian said - worth case - shake like vinegar and oil salad dressing. This will be interesting to see how this differs in coating the blade from the Isopropyl. Either way, I'd rather not use a solution that's 30% water.

pinklather,

I am going to do some experimenting with stabilising the mineral oil/alcohol mix using some sufactants and detergents I have lying around.

The idea is to form either an emulsion, or preferably a micro-emulsion.

The concern is whether the surfactants/detergents will have a negative effect on the steel.

I will let you know how it goes :)

Have fun !

regards

Russ

WD40 is just mineral spirits with a machine oil. The spirits will carry the oil into tight places hence the penetrating part. The mineral spirits should evaporate out.

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Originally Posted by Glenn24

Ok, I tried WD40. Easy to apply, it's easy to sray the pivot, it seems to protect very well (no corrosion signs after letting the razor sit in a humid bathroom for a few days). But is STINKS. It seems to stick to the metal, it leaves a small film behind when you wipe it off. Which makes me beleive that you'd put WD40 on your strop when you're ready to shave....

So for long term storage, i'd say it could be an interesting product to use. But for a razor you'd use regularly, I'd say forget about it.

BUT, it could be interesting to use in the pivot if ever you spash some water there by accident, you know you'll be removing every little microscopic drop that's there because of the water displacement properties of WD40.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Yes, I've been making/using this myself for about 8 years. It's approximately one part mineral oil to two hundred parts alcohol. It takes several days for the oil to dissolve and if you put too much in it won't all dissolve, but that's not a problem--you just shake it like oil and vinegar dressing.

I dip and wipe to remove soap residue, then I dip again and let it air dry with the razor open. Evaporation only takes a couple minutes. I have never seen any ill effect on any etching or metallic part. I don't dip the scales so this does not protect the pivot area. I rely upon not getting that area wet in the first place. I suspect most scale materials would be unaffected but I've never been in the mood to experiment with finding out which they are.

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Do you leave the razor open when air drying? I tried camellia oil and it is seaming like the oil is beading and the 70% alcohol is taking a long time to dry. Is my alcohol too old? Is camellia oil that bad for this application?

Thank you,
--Shoki