Hot shower preshave --> too much moisture --> my fear of rust!

[toadq5]

Hey guys-

So this may seem like a strange one, not sure if anyone has encountered this issue yet. And I wasn't sure if I should put this in the razors section or the preshave section, but oh well!

If I take a hot shower as my preshave prep, I get a ton of moisture hanging around in my bathroom when I get out to shave (I live in a crappy little apartment with a very small bathroom, so I think that's a major factor here). Although I don't have any rusting on my blade, I'm worried that those 10 to 15 minutes of shaving in the very moist bathroom could eventually come back to haunt me - and I don't want to mess around with rust!

Has anyone had this issue before? If so, what did you do? I'm thinking I may have to move my shaving station into my bedroom after showering. What do you guys think? Thanks!

[Crzylizard]

Do you have an exhaust fan in the bathroom? That will help clear the air.

As long as you are not storing your razors in the bathroom, and you take care to make sure they are completely dry and have some sort of protectant on them (oil, WD-40, etc), rust shouldn't be an issue.

[smalltank]

my bathroom makes alot of moisture as well..open a window or turn on the fan for 30 minutes..DONT keep your razors in the bathroom as excess moisture can get everywhere.. I keep my razors in a cabinet in my bedroom in their boxes..works very well

[sheajohnw]

The temporary presence of my carbon straight razors in the bathroom while showering has not presented me with any rust issues. I do not store my straight razors in the bathroom when not in use to minimize their exposure to humidity and for better security.

Getting water or lather around the pivot pin behind the scales when rinsing can cause spotting and rust issues. I take great care to avoid getting water behind the scales and take great care to dry this area if water might have gotten behind the scales. I make sure my razors are wiped carefully, inspected for lather residue and water droplets, air dried, stropped, and wiped with mineral oil after verifying dryness. I use Renaissance Wax, WD40, and firearms oil for long term storage.

It is a good idea to use the bathroom exhaust fan and to crack open a window when showering. When privacy is not a consideration, cracking open the bathroom door is even better.

I do feel some anxiety concerning possible rust and in part for this reason I often use Henckels Friodur razors.

[Crzylizard]

Along the same lines... if you do find yourself getting water in the scales or pivot, a quick blast with an air duster (like you would use for electronics) solves the problem. In fact, I give all m razors a drying with that before they go back in the rotation.

[toadq5]

Thanks for the advice guys. Yes, I do have an exhaust fan which I turn on, but it's quite old and not very powerful. And unfortunately, I have no windows in my bathroom (I live in a pretty old apartment that will probably fall down soon - my floors are even crooked!!). And I don't store the razors in the bathroom, I'd have nightmares if I did that I think!

I have been very careful about not getting soap/water into the pivot, and about wiping the razor dry after getting out of the very humid bathroom. Then I use the alcohol/mineral oil mix, wipe dry, then dunk again and let air dry. I even put a good bit more of the mineral oil than the 1 part oil to 200 part alcohol that was suggested (I think that was the ratio). Probably got around 1 part to 100 parts - it leaves a nice coating of oil on the blade after the alcohol evaporates.

So from what I hear from you guys, if I'm careful about drying and oiling, I shouldn't worry too much about those 10 or 15 minutes in my sauna like bathroom. That's good to know! Thanks guys!

[stimpy52]

Relax, you're not going to rust. Dry between your toes good, though.