Thread: Early corrosion?

Hello everyone, I just purchased a new Thiers-Issard straight razor from Royal Shave about 4 months ago. I love the blade, but I am afraid I am seeing signs of rust on the spine of my blade. I have very good care of the blade and make sure it is dry after use. I would appreciate any advice on what may be causing these spot, if they can be removed or if they can be stopped from progressing. Thanks for any advice.

Have you been oiling the blade after drying it and putting it away? I be sure to do that using mineral oil. I just dry the blade and scales after shaving, strop 20 on linen, 30 on leather, then use a few drops of mineral oil (about $2 at walmart for a huge bottle of it) and spread it all over the blade and spine.

To remove that, I suggest picking up some Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish, also from Wal-Mart in the automotive section... That might do the trick. Some of the other guys on here may have better suggestions, however. The Mothers worked wonders on a vintage Wade and Butcher I picked up on eBay, also removed a lot of gunk on a vintage Henckels razor I got from WhippedDog.com, so I think it should be sufficient to help remove that. Just my noob opinion, though...

Yes it is rust in its first stages. Like Chrees said the Mothers works very well or any metal polish will do the job. I had the same issue before and what I did is to make sure my hands are dry while shaving, and most importantly, to dry and clean the razor blade and scales after shaving. I do not apply mineral oil, because I use the razor at least once in a week. After drying the razor completely just leave it in a open place for about 24 hours to make sure that all humidity is gone from the razor. Ive never had this problem again since I do this.

I live in single digit humidity and am very careful about moisture on the blade however if I'm using the same razor over several days and leave it out without oil I get the same thing. Some metal polish takes it off.

Hey. I'm pretty new here and relatively new to straight razors but familiar enough with carbon steels. One thing that works pretty well to clean up small corrosion is a good old number 2 pencil. I dunno if anyone else uses this trick but scribble and erase. Swear it works.

Originally Posted by jcline

Hey. I'm pretty new here and relatively new to straight razors but familiar enough with carbon steels. One thing that works pretty well to clean up small corrosion is a good old number 2 pencil. I dunno if anyone else uses this trick but scribble and erase. Swear it works.

Wow, really? I'm gonna have to try that sometime...

Just a quick update. I tried the #2 pencil with erasing and did not have any success. Not saying that it does not work, just not for me. The Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish did work. Since then I purchased mineral oil from Walgreens and have been using it on my blade. A concern of mine is that when I apply the mineral oil it coalesces and does not spread evenly over the blade. I have made sure the blade is dry before applying the oil to the blade too. Is this normal or should I try a different oil?

Originally Posted by czakhary

Just a quick update. I tried the #2 pencil with erasing and did not have any success. Not saying that it does not work, just not for me. The Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish did work. Since then I purchased mineral oil from Walgreens and have been using it on my blade. A concern of mine is that when I apply the mineral oil it coalesces and does not spread evenly over the blade. I have made sure the blade is dry before applying the oil to the blade too. Is this normal or should I try a different oil?

I use mineral oil and just dip my finger in the oil, and rub it all over the blade until its nice and even. Obviously I do this VERY carefully. I then fold and put the razor in its case.

Quick update on the spots. After using the mineral oil I am still getting numerous spots on my blade after I shave. I just polished the spots off again re-applied oil and now I am storing my blade in a sealed container with rice. I will see if his helps, if not I do not know what else to do.

I have a two-week rotation but don't shave every day so oiling the blade is a key part of maintenance. A post here described adding a layer of mineral oil to alcohol. The oil floats on top of the alcohol and you dip the blade into the mineral oil and the alcohol. Both the oil and the alcohol displace the water and as you remove the blade, it is coated with oil. Wipe and store. It also cleans out the junk around the pins and bearing washers.