Thread: about 100 year old razor- rusted shut

So i found my great grandpas razor, i don;t know how old for sure, but i am guessing 100 years, however it is rusted shut, i know there will be the need for a lot of restoration, but would three in one oil work, and would it be smart to just loss the scales

Can you post photos so we can see the condition of the razor?

3-in-1 oil might not do as good of a job as a penetrating oil such as WD-40 or liquid wrench. However, if it's rusted tight enough to be rusted shut, there is a good chance that the blade in not savable (if it is a hollow or otherwise lighter ground blade).

It will partly depend on the scale material - gotta be sure whatever you put on won't hurt those. If they are savable, that is; if they are trashed then it won't matter either way.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a razor rust shut, so I'm very curious. Is it due to rust in the pivot area causing extreme friction? If that is the case, I have found that just a drop of mineral oil on each side really helps. It will make the friction between the blade, scales (and washers, if they are there) strip the rust right off. And whatever oil is in there keeps working over time, always taking off more rust as you open and close the blade. The only downside is that oil in the pivot can attract and hold dirt and dust and whatnot.

Did you try just running some tap-hot water over it?

I've had instance where straights are seized - I have on where the wedge is the problem in that the tip of the blade has been stuck in it. Another was a customers razor that I honed, the blade was pushed too far into the scales, so far some of the blade's edge was showing the other side.

well to tell you the truth, its a german razor that my mom came across in france, she send it to me by mail, she said she could not get it open, but when i get it i will try to open it and if i cant do that i will post pics

Originally Posted by Themagicturtle

well to tell you the truth, its a german razor that my mom came across in france, she send it to me by mail, she said she could not get it open, but when i get it i will try to open it and if i cant do that i will post pics

Try oiling the pins. The razor itself might not be rusted shut, but the pins seized. After that try oiling the razor itself, if that doesn't work, bring out the WD40

Originally Posted by Themagicturtle

well to tell you the truth, its a german razor that my mom came across in france,

Umm... then why did you say this in your opening post?

So i found my great grandpas razor

Kind of strikes me as an important question.

Oh, and to answer your question, you might try some Break-Free CLP. it's used to clean and de-rust guns. Good stuff.