Storing razor in oil filled container?

Hi,

This might be a stupid idea but I have been contemplating this for a couple of weeks, well if it is any excuse I have only been straight razor shaving for 6 weeks.

Instead of making sure my main razor is completely coated in oil after each use and storing it out of the bathroom away from humidity and using up oil in the process, I was thinking of purchasing a small plastic lidded container just big enough to house the razor and filling up this container full of mineral or camellia oil.

So all I would have to do after cleaning and drying off the razor after each use was to fully submerse and store the razor in oil filled container and place it on my bathroom shelf and before using the razor again just take it out of the container and wipe off the oil with a cloth.

Is this an ok idea or would it not be recommended?

Thanks.

Have you tried it? I soaked mine in neatsfoot oil and after two days I was still getting oil off my fingers.

I think you should soak your razor in oil for a minute then try using it. You won't try again....
My opinion only....

Yup , tried that whe reviving some horn scales.. Bad idea...it takes alot to get the excess off. Do you really need the oil? The only time my razor rusted was in Central America and in Hawaii whe I didn't use it for awhile..of course now I live in Colorado... You have to import rust up here... There isn't enough oxygen to let anything rust.

Lots of oil would get wasted each time you wished to use the razor, so you'd constantly be refilling your container and you'd be shaving with a greasy, slippery scaled razor, unless it is a kamisori you are referring to, which would still be a waste of oil.

Go for the Karate Kid approach: wipe on, wipe off. Simple.

If your only concern was preventing corrosion I guess this might work. The problem is two fold. First, not all scale materials would tolerate oil immersion without damage. Second, you really don't want the razor to be slippery when you use it so a coating of oil will be a big problem.

With reasonable care you shouldn't have to resort to anything this radical to protect your razor. I am careful to avoid getting anything other than the blade wet when I use a razor. If I know I won't be using a razor for a while a little spray of camellia oil takes care of it. So far, no problems with corrosion.

I agree with Bill. It'd be a mess when you go to use it, Oil would be all over the inside of the scales, it'd be slippery, and as he said, scales aren't meant to be submerged in oil 24/7. What I do after my razor dries, is wipe down the blade with a silicone treated cloth, like a gun cloth... This is great for razors out in rotation, it protects the blade, and wipes off easily prior to use. Blades I'm not currently using are protected with Renaissance wax.

It's an interesting and creative idea. If you could just drop the blade in oil you wouldn't have to hassle with wiping it on each time. But, if you're looking to keep from "using up oil" you'd actually be using up more oil as you'd have to wipe off the entire blade, tang, and scales every time you went to shave.

I have folks in my church with family in New Zealand, and from some of their stories I suspect protecting from rust is going to be a concern for you, whereas here in the middle of the U.S. most guys don't have to worry much about that. If you wanted to simplify the process, I'd suggest getting your small container and putting an oil soaked rag in it. When you're done shaving you can pull the rag out, wipe down the blade, and put the rag back. It'll last a very long time, use only the minimum amount of oil needed, and be quicker than applying oil with a q-tip or by some other means.

FWIW!

Peace,
Jim

It is just as simple to wipe on/ wipe off. The idea is over solving a problem that does not really exist. It is a waste of resources for what is meant to be more sustainable means of shaving.

Rust is bad, but it is not a terrorist threat.
Complete oil immersion would be a pain, I'll bet.
I protect my blades all the same, here are the facts:
After wiping off I coat and buff them with Renaissance Wax.

How many times are you going to shave in your lifetime? And how much oil will that consume?

It takes one drop of oil to cover a blade, if you spread it around with a piece of toilet paper.

There are 20 drops per ml, roughly. So there are 20,000 drops in a quart of mineral oil, which you can buy for a few bucks at the pharmacy (or the gas station).


Charles

Thanks guys for your informative replies.

Enough said and I have learnt the errors of my bad idea, I have not tried the oil immersion yet but after reading all the postings I am not about to find out the hard way by actually trying it.

I think I go overboard with the amount of oil I am currently using, I dunk the razor into the mineral oil and leave it stored with the scales open in a plastic tray with the scales/tang resting on the tray edge so the razor is not lying flat thereby giving the residue oil a chance to run off.

When I go to use the razor I wipe of the remaining oil with paper toweling and give it a rinse in water.

I am probably too paranoid worrying about blade rust and staining but I do have these little unsightly dark colored black spots just up and clear of the honed edge of the blade that will not wipe away. Not sure what they are caused from, dried blood etched into the steel or some other sort of staining but I do not think it is rust. Also just along this 2mm to 3mm spotted edge strip is staining that looks like soap residue but I feel it is too close to the edge for me to try and polish away as I do not want to damage the keenest of the edge.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by planetocean

Thanks guys for your informative replies.

Enough said and I have learnt the errors of my bad idea, I have not tried the oil immersion yet but after reading all the postings I am not about to find out the hard way by actually trying it.

I think I go overboard with the amount of oil I am currently using, I dunk the razor into the mineral oil and leave it stored with the scales open in a plastic tray with the scales/tang resting on the tray edge so the razor is not lying flat thereby giving the residue oil a chance to run off.

When I go to use the razor I wipe of the remaining oil with paper toweling and give it a rinse in water.

I am probably too paranoid worrying about blade rust and staining but I do have these little unsightly dark colored black spots just up and clear of the honed edge of the blade that will not wipe away. Not sure what they are caused from, dried blood etched into the steel or some other sort of staining but I do not think it is rust. Also just along this 2mm to 3mm spotted edge strip is staining that looks like soap residue but I feel it is too close to the edge for me to try and polish away as I do not want to damage the keenest of the edge.

Thanks.

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Well, you certainly got plenty of replies!

If you wipe the blade from the backside (the spine) you can wipe to the very edge without worrying about ruining anything. You do need to make sure the blade is clean after you shave or you will develop problems.

Post up some pics and we might be able to tell you what you're seeing, and subsequently what the cause is.

Only the smallest film of oil is needed to protect the blade. There are members here who use a mixture of oil and alcohol, and I believe it's 1pt in 200pts of each respectively. The alcohol helps evaporate any moisture on the blade leaving behind the slightest film of oil to be wiped off before stropping.

Peace,
Jim

Thanks.

It is 9.40am down here and I am at work (oops should not have said that) but when I get home tonight I will try and post some photos.

I would be interested to know what this spotting is.

Head to Repco and grab a can of 'Inox' spray. Much easier to give the blade a quick spray after a shave than oil it up. Can get right into the pivot too.

Ok I have managed to take some photos, out of the large number of photos I took I only managed to find 2 that show the black dots and in their worse light, still I can’t seem to be able to capture the dull staining that runs along the edge through the dots very well. It’s the best I can do with a phone camera as its all I have.

Can’t work out why I am getting this staining with all the post shave care I put into the razor so I am thinking it is staining during the shave, perhaps etched in soap or blood, I real do not know.


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If that is happening during shaving, then that area needs to be cleaned up and polished with Maas or Flitz. You can do this with tape on the edge or polish only toward the edge. If you have a non-polished area on the blade, it will attract and hold residue and cause that kind of oxidation. Oiling over that area without first getting it polished actually increases the likelihood of staining because you are "trapping in" the very stuff you are trying to avoid.

I had some black spots like that on a dovo once.. Turned out the wife gort some tilex on it and stained the blade.... Some times i wish that rule of thumb thing would come back..

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Originally Posted by Wintchase

I had some black spots like that on a dovo once.. Turned out the wife gort some tilex on it and stained the blade.... Some times i wish that rule of thumb thing would come back..

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That was still on the books in my folk's home town until 1998!

+1 on your trapping contaminants in with the oil. It certainly looks like oxidation/rust. First it needs polished out. I don't know what you have available in the DEEP South, but up here I use Mother's polish the same as I use on my avatar. Some guys follow that up with a coat of Ren. Wax, but I haven't been able to find the stuff around me. Then take care to wipe the blade completely dry. I put a towel in my hand and set the razor down on its spine, then pinch the blade between my thumb and index finger and wipe the whole thing down a couple times after each shave. Follow that up with a few strokes on the strop for good measure. THEN, once you're confident the blade is clean, apply a thin coat of oil, and you're in good shape. Store with the spine up so if anything, oil runs down toward the blade edge safeguarding the thinnest, most delicate part of the razor.

Peace,
Jim