Wierd spot on razor

Was cleaning my razors today (making sure they are stropped, rust free and putting a drop of Camella oil on them etc) when I noticed a strange mark on one of my Genco's

Attachment 85879

It's hard to see but there is a circular mark on the blade, that circle was red, but it rubbed off with my thumb leaving that mark behind, It reminds me of bacteria stuff I see in Petrie dishess,,,,

So should I be worried? I am nervous about that because I freaking LOVE this razor (it's pretty much my 2nd favorite razor with my Genco Gold Seal being my fav) but after seeing that I worry about things like bacteria etc... :(

So do I need to worry about this razor or is it nothing to worry about?

Thanks in advance

spot of corrosion. have you used a metal polisher on it? anything that protects against corrosion (I use tuf-glide)? leave the tarnish, hopefully it'll protect that part of the surface from further corrosion.

P.S. re-honed a little 9/16 geneva and it took a screamin' edge.

I can't see it in the picture but it sounds like some rust. probably just surface since it came off. Some metal polish should remove all traces and then some oil for protection and ensure they are not kept in a high humidity location like a bathroom. Other than that if the razor has celluloid scales you might want to check it often to make sure the scales aren't starting to deteriorate.

Thanks all, the scales look fine (Plastic or some other plastic like material) it doesn't' look like rust since it was a perfect circle... Very strange :(

A trick Robert Williams shared was to use a pencil erasor w/ the metal polish. It concentrates the polishing & keeps body parts away from the business end.

I will likely try that, but given that it was a perfect circle I worry about Bacteria :( I'm afraid to shave with this razor now :( which sucks cause I love the edge ...

91% isopropyl alcohol
metal polish w/ eraser tip
camella oil!

So dunk the blade in the Alcohol, Take some polish to it once it dries, oil her up and go about my shave... Sounds like a plan

Thanks everyone!!

The alcohol is to disinfect (it seemed a concern for you). It is also a bit of a solvent... I've taped razors and know the use of adhesive from the removed tape to pull off the larger bits of what may be left, but use the solvent to help rid the blade of anything that might remain. Don't let most things dry on the blade, especially the edge. I think the high alcohol content may be good, but still not a good idea. Wipe it off gently, I'll use a dry hand towel and part of my shirt or pants to get it mostly dry, then truly dry it with slightly lifted stropping motions on a dry paper towel.

So don't let it sit in the alcohol for too long? I was figuring dunk just the blade for a few minutes, then dry it off, polish it up, oil her up and then go from there :)

If using alcohol to disinfect the blade, I would simply dampen a tissue with alcohol and wipe the blade down.

As for bacteria...Don't worry. Our faces carry many more staph bacteria on them each day than your straight razor's blade ever could.

A razor is not a hospitable environment for bacteria. Just a wipe down with alcohol, the more concentrated type or even a wash with some anti bacterial soap if you're concerned. it's probably a water spot if not rust.

yeah, dunk in. someone did a test with 91% and left 'em in for days, not the same as water (or the 40%). dry off. what kind of polish do you have? Will you be removing the oil before stropping/shaving?:D