Thread: Why is my razor still pitting?

Gents,

I can't figure out why my razor continues to get small pit marks even though I follow a good procedure, or at least I think I do. After shaving I dry it with a dry terry cloth towel, then give it a light stropping, dry it further with a tissue, then use a new tissue to rub Pacific blade oil on it before storing it in an open position in a dry room. The pit marks look like water spots on a car. I'm thinking maybe this brand of oil isn't very good, as I also notice when I wipe the oil off the blade some of the gold plating comes off on the tissue. Is that a normal thing with blade oil? The razor is a Dovo carbon steel Black Star.

sounds like a possible defect....

maybe put some desiccant gel packs in your storage box.....

i like to use renaissance wax once im done shaving i wipe the razor off with tissue paper let it sit out for and hour and then if it doent have a box i'll wrap it in tissue paper . once the renaissance wax is rubbed on the razor its protected for a long time

To clean off the spotting get a tube of Semichrome, Flitz, Wenol or Maas. Rub a dab on with a Q-tip, and then after it sits a few minutes a paper towel. Birchwood Casey Rig rust preventative is the best thing I've found for protecting guns, knives or razors. Get some of that and apply it with a Q-tip and wipe excess with a paper towel. If you still have problems with spotting I would think it might be something in your water.

Good advice from Jimmy. I think he hit on something in his comment about your water. High iron content or hard water ( tough to make lather ) will definitely cause spotting. One other thing you might try is a final rinse in STEAMING tap water after you shave. (blade only, not hinge or scales) This heats up the blade and might help with the drying process. I wouldn"t apply any oil until blade has stood open for a few minutes after your final towell dry. Good luck and happy shaving, wildhog

+1 on the hot tap water . I rinse mine in hot tap water , then dry it off with a cotton ball , then dry it off with another cotton ball , and let it sit open (in a safe place) for at least 12 hours . I don't oil or wax the blade . I also don't keep them in the bathroom . I've been doing it like this for over 4 years , with no rust problems .

Cool, thanks. Although to clarify, they aren't water spots but black pitting in the shape of water spots. Also, as with the oil taking off some of the gold plating on the blade, is this normal?

At any rate, I'll have to mothball my razor for a few weeks until I gather the funds I need to take care of it better and get it honed. I had a painful shave today.

All the oil in the world won't do nuttin for water spots. As a matter of fact it may seal them in. I have the same issue and don't worry about it any more. One it starts to accumulate some simichrome will take them right off and unless the spots contains iron (rust) it shouldn't harm the razor in the long term.

Do you have any photos?
I would like to see the pitting.

Where are you storing your razor at ? and making sure your blade is dry before you apply oil is important .