Joint rust?

Noticed today that my razor was developing some rust on the shank around the joint. Not good! My reaction was pretty much automatic, grab my cleaning kit, slap some CLP on the joint and brush vigorously until the rust was gone. Now my razor smells like carbon :/ After getting all the rust off, I thought to myself, I wonder what the best prevention method is against this rust...so I thought I'd ask here. Right now I dry the razor off after shaving and keep it in an ammo can with a silica gel packet in it, though I just threw the packet in a day or so ago when I thought of it. Do you all use anything on the joint to prevent rust, or just diligent drying?

I am still gathering equipment but had planned to store my razors in a similar setup; is the concept of a sealed(ish) container with desiccant a good way to go?

First I put a solid coat of mineral oil throughout the pin area when my razors are perfectly dry. This may or may not help in the long run as I'm not actually sure any residue remains. After each shave I blow firmly through the scales from the spine side and especially around the pin. I then let the razor sit out in the open air for at least fifteen minutes to dry further.

X

I don't rinse my blades while shaving. I just wipe them on a towel, then when I finish shaving they get a rinse under the tap and a wipedown on the towel. This minimizes the chance of water getting into the pivot. I leave them open to dry while I'm walking the dog, then they get a wipedown with an oiled patch before getting put away. I live in Houston TX and the humidity makes rust a constant risk, but this regimen has done a good job of preventing rust so far.

I just wipe mine dry, strop and leave open on top of the TV cabinet for an hour or so. I then store them in an old wooden jewellery box, works so far

Be careful not to get water into the pin area or the shank of the razor. After use, I wipe the razor on the towel, strop and put in mug/box...

Nenad

FWIW -- I rinse the str8 in HOT water... usually just the blade except when I manage to screw up and get lather or water in the hinge pin area -- then the whole thing gets rinsed well. I dry it with a towel and let it lie open on a dry towel while I finish up in the bathroom (maybe 5-min). Just before leaving the bathroom I do 10 or so licks on the strop and then give the blade and hinge area a shot of Clippercide* and let that lie open while I dress, after which I close it up, wipe off the exterior and put it away. Depending on my whims, I may not use that particular razor again for a month or more... since I started this regimen there have been no surprises the next time I use it (ie, no rust!).

* In this case, I'm using the Clippercide mostly for its rust preventative ingredients rather than its germicide qualities.

Yeah i have been thinking about this recently as i am looking to get a top dog looking razor somethime in the future and i would hate for it to rust up, can i just clear up on some of the above posts:

Either use Clippercide or Mineral oil to protect the blade, making sure it is dry after use either way, I am thinking maybe use the above products and then dry gently with a hair dryer or something making sure the heat is not to hot?

I did read somewhere that Mineral oil after use and Rubbing alcohol before use keeps everything squeeky clean.

I wipe mine on a towel, strop them, fold them, and put them in a mug. But I live near Denver and it is really dry here (like maybe 20%-30% humidity).

Isn't it dry out there in Iraq? Do you close the ammo can right after you put your razor in it? Maybe you can leave it open for a little while.

I try to avoid getting water/lather in the pin area, but what I do in any event is wipe the tang and tail with a towel and then with a soft dry cloth.

I keep my razors loose in a drawer and this seems to work fine - although I may need to use a drop of oil and a lightly oiled rag in the summer when its more humid.

Put me in the keep the pin dry category. When I started using a straight, I liked rinsing it under the tap. Then I tried wiping the blade on a towel, and this works much much better. You can see what you're shaving off, you keep the razor dry, and it's fun. Plus you save water and avoid damaging your razor.

I've never had a problem with rust, and western Pennsylvania gets pretty humid at times. The only time I ever had any rust form was when I left my Zeepk-wannabe (how low is THAT?) out to dry with water all over it. Rust in 10 minutes.

All of my razors are vintage, though, and get a thorough cleaning with MAAS when I get them. I'm starting to wonder if MAAS doesn't have an anti-rust agent that remains on my razors for a while. I might be in some kind of rust-free honeymoon...

Josh

Just as a rust preventative (and all the above methods work very well) put a drop of Tuf-Glide on the pivot. It'll dry out, leaving behind a dry protective, lubricant film that won't wash off or attract dirt and dust. Reapply every so often, but your razor will not rust wherever the Tuf-Glide is.

What are these substances?

CLP is a rust remover and metal conditioner that contains Teflon (tm!). At the time I didn't think anything of it, but I really haven't ever owned anything that wasn't made out of stainless steel (to my knowledge) and was hoping that this wouldn't have any damaging effect on high carbon steel.

Since the application, the joint has cleaned up very well, no more rust. Yes, Iraq is very dry, though it's winter here and so it is a little more humid, but not much -- mostly from rain which evaporates before it hits the ground, a weird sight. Makes the days cool and the nights cold as hell, though.

I do wipe on a paper towel so I can see if I am getting hair (and how much skin I am getting, heh). At the end of the shave is when I think I am getting the joint wet, or maybe it is my fingers from splashing water on myself and re-lathering, I don't know. The water is heavily chlorinated / somewhat filtered river water so I don't know if that might hasten rust or not.

Chlorine is very corrosive so that may be your culprit.

If I were you I'd just add a drop of CLP in the pivot area like you already did it will provide the same protection to your razor it does to the action of your rifle. If you have any around try Miltec instead it will do the same thing as the tuff-glide Joe mentioned.

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Originally Posted by Wildtim

If I were you I'd just add a drop of CLP in the pivot area like you already did it will provide the same protection to your razor it does to the action of your rifle. If you have any around try Miltec instead it will do the same thing as the tuff-glide Joe mentioned.

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I've got Militec....great lubricant, crap for rust prevention. Plus, unlike the Tuf-Glide, it attracts dust.

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Originally Posted by Joe Chandler

I've got Militec....great lubricant, crap for rust prevention. Plus, unlike the Tuf-Glide, it attracts dust.

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Really it has worked great for me, I had a spot on me mil-surp carry pistol that always developed a spot of rust if I forgot to wipe it with a silicon cloth nightly (the bluing is gone there due to an old scratch. In the last year since I treated it no rust at all.

I'm not disputing your assertion, just relating my experience because i thought it was also a dry lubricant/preventative. Or does it only work this way when baked on as I did my pistol? (but would be a really bad idea with a razor)

I thought it might be a step up from CLP and also available on base over there.

You're probably right. The Militec, I think, is designed to be sort of "cooked in", so that it fills the pores of the metal, creating a microbarrier. It's not that effective in corrosion resistance without doing so. Learned that the hard way during hurricane duty. Not sure any lubricant would stand up to dunking in New Orleans salt water. :barf :DThat was why I recommended the Tuf-Glide, since you really can't heat up a razor without ruining either the temper or the handles. I'd heard good stuff about the Militec, too, but in a light use item like a razor, I think the Tuf-Glide would be superior. My Militec turned sorta rancid after awhile too. Not sure it's supposed to do that, but it had a nice smell at first, and now it stinks. Weird, huh?

I have access to Mili-tec and also LSA as well, but I don't own any. The CLP was handy and frankly when I saw the rust, I felt like nicholas cage in matchstick men when he saw the dirt on his floor...all rational thought left the building :) I HATE rust.

Yeah, salt water is pretty damn rough on metal.

Mine never smelled good but I figured that was normal I only got the free sample, it was enough to do three pistols and an sks so I was covered for free :) and yes I did bake it in. Give it another try baked in. I do however still do normal lubrication and corrosion prevention and only rely on the Miltec as a failsafe backup to my normal routine. Thats why I mentioned the stubborn spot, its the only spot of rust on my gun and even with normal maintenance I still had to take special measures until I used the Miltec since then my usual routine has been fine.

Every so often I put a little Tuf-Glide in the pin aera.

Eddie

Don't use LSA. It isn't great at rust prevention. It is designed for high-heat applications. That's why its used in the M-240B and M-249. Incidentally, these guns get so hot you can light CLP residue in your barrel on fire. It looks cool but not so good for the gun. Your not so worried about rust in the big guns. (Heck, you use regular 5W30 motor oil in the M-2) MilTec is great but it must be really baked in. We use it on our M-4's but you have to fire 100+ rounds after application to bake in and most guys repeat a second time. You can do in a oven but when they say bake in, if your hand guards aren't melting you're not hot enough. I have never used Tuff-Glide myself but I would try that. CLP should work until you get some Tuff Glide.

Have any of the knifemakers here tried some of the surface treatments that the gun manufacturers use? Like the H&K finish or the Glock Tenifer finish? Both of these seem to be really good a resisting rust. Alternatively, the Wilson finish doesn't look quite as nice but seems to be very rust resistant and is easy to do in your garage (they parkerize then use some kind of paint - the parkerized texture gives the paint a really good grip on the steel). I wouldn't necessarily do it on the blade, but at least the shank to the tail would seem to be a good area to do.

Use an empty cigar box to store your razors. They come lined with Spanish cedar because that absorbs excess moisture and humidity. I keep all my razors in one and have no rust at all.

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Originally Posted by Iceman

Use an empty cigar box to store your razors. They come lined with Spanish cedar because that absorbs excess moisture and humidity. I keep all my razors in one and have no rust at all.

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Same here..

I was searching through my storage earlier today and ran across some Remington Rem Oil and trumpet slide oil. I don't know much about either, other than they both contain petroleum distillate and the RemOil contains teflon. Would either of these products be okay to use on a razor?

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Originally Posted by Iceman

Use an empty cigar box to store your razors. They come lined with Spanish cedar because that absorbs excess moisture and humidity. I keep all my razors in one and have no rust at all.

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Me three.

X

Ever remove the moisture from the silica gel packet? It will absorb moisture but does have a finite limit.

The 25mm gun in the Bradley has an oxide coating of some type on the exterior surface that is not supposed to rust.

Rick

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Originally Posted by Iceman

....They come lined with Spanish cedar because that absorbs excess moisture and humidity....

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:thinking:
Interesting. SO, would you recommend adding cedar to a 'regular' box to absorb extra moisture (if you don't have a cigar box on hand)?

C utz

You can get a cedar cigar box from a local tobacconist. I work in a tobacco shop part time, and we're always selling the empty boxes for a nominal fee. I have my razors in a A. Fuente Hemmingway box as it has a velveteen lining. Knives are in a couple other boxes, jewelry, pens and trinkets in others. You get the idea.