Thread: Air Dry vs Wiping your blade

I got my new 7 O'clock razors today and the shave is pretty nice. Of course I was curious to see how the blade looked after the shave and I noticed there was a little fuzz remaining on the blade.

Now everywhere I read that people should let their blades air dry. I shake them off as best as I can but there are still small water droplets and I can't see this as beneficial for the blade. Granted they're only used for about a week before I change them but what's the big deal about wiping your blade dry? It's not like your cutting into it!

While on the subject, what are those four dots that hold the razor to the wax paper when you first open it, glue? Wax? Should that stuff be cleaned off prior to shaving?

Thanks!

Edit: Question 3, what do the numbers signify on the double edge blade? (1,2,3,4)

I'm not sure about the numbers on the blade, but when I use my DE all I do is give it a good rinse, shake to get as much of the water off as possible and then leave it to air dry. I'm much more careful with my straights because they arent replaceable blades!

Wiping the whole razor down and drying the blade off may extend the life of the blade some, but its just a bit too fiddly and time consuming for me which is why I dont do it..! DE blades are fairly cheap as well, and I dont use the razor every day, so I get pretty good mileage out of them and I dont worry about it. YMMV of course.

I think the stuff on the paper is wax, but with my Gillette blades this stuff doesnt actually get on the blade, its all on the paper.

I agree with Stubear. It isn't necessary to take the same kind of care with disposable DE razor blades as you would with a str8 razor. I don't disassemble my DE after every shave to air dry or wipe the blade dry. I just rinse it well under the faucet and let it air dry.

When I changed blades every week or so--when I was shaving daily with a DE--I would disassemble the razor, remove the old blade and dispose of it, soak the parts of the razor in a sink full of hot water w/ shampoo and use an old soft bristle toothbrush to remove any soap residue on the mechanism. Then I would insert a new blade and assemble the razor for another week of shaves.

Modern DE blades are really inferior to the old ones and they have coatings applied to them to give them the ability to shave properly. The reason they always say don't wipe a DE blade is because these coating are really thin and they can be taken off. That's one of the reasons you only get a very few shaves out of each blade. Let it air dry. The brief exposure to water won't hurt the blade or the razor unless your razor is vintage with all the plating gone and even then it will just tarnish.

When I shaved with one DE I would loosen the top and rinse it well and leave the blade in place. When I began collecting them and was shaving with a different one daily I took the blade out and left it in the medicine cabinet for the next day. I didn't wipe the blade in either case. I am trying to remember if I wiped them back in the '60s when I used the old Gillette blue blades. If you left those in your DE they tended to rust pretty quick IIRC. I cannot recall whether I wiped those or not. They were pretty rough and I didn't get many shaves out of them. I was very happy when the super stainless and then the platinum plus came out.

I've not had a problem with coated or stainless steel DE blade rusting so I'd say just let them air dry. I can't see a problem with patting them dry but why bother and the more time you spend handling a DE blade out of the razor the more opportunity you have to cut yourself. FWIW I always assumed that the do not wipe was to cover themselves against someone trying to sue them if they did wipe the blade and did get a cut.

I've seen the question about the numbers before and the consensus of opinion seems to be that they are used in the manufacturing process. I've also seen speculation that people that flip the blade round use them to keep track of which way they are shaving but never seen anyone say thats what they do!

I figured that there was some special oil on the blade to keep it from rusting. The only purpose I could see the numbers serving would be to "flip" it maybe mid-week for a better shave?


I'm afraid to wash my razor if it's loose, what happens when it falls down the drain, now I've got two problems haha.


I haven't had a reason to scrub my brushes down with the Colonel Conk soap; it doesn't cake up on the razor itself much as opposed to the Lightfoot Pine soap which I'm done with.I'm going to wait a few days to let my beard grow in a little bit, the Gillette 7'Oclock yellow packs are amazing and I've been getting a really great shave with virtually no irritation, we'll see how they like cutting into Proraso in a few days

DoubleEdge23C,

After rinsing under a hot tap, I always soak the razor in some alcohol.

This displaces any water, and partially dissolves some of the soap scum left.

There will always be traces of soap etc left, and I doubt very much if they have much influence on the life of the blade.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Gentlemen:

I am of the air-dry school as well. After the shave, I allow the razor to air dry with the shave head closed. Since I change blades — Feather and 8 O'Clock yellows — every three shaves, I find no need to wipe the blade. Not that I would for fear of removing the blade's coating.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by DoubleEdge23c

I got my new 7 O'clock razors today and the shave is pretty nice. Of course I was curious to see how the blade looked after the shave and I noticed there was a little fuzz remaining on the blade.

Now everywhere I read that people should let their blades air dry. I shake them off as best as I can but there are still small water droplets and I can't see this as beneficial for the blade. Granted they're only used for about a week before I change them but what's the big deal about wiping your blade dry? It's not like your cutting into it!

While on the subject, what are those four dots that hold the razor to the wax paper when you first open it, glue? Wax? Should that stuff be cleaned off prior to shaving?

Thanks!

Edit: Question 3, what do the numbers signify on the double edge blade? (1,2,3,4)

I do what you have pictured after shaving before work, take the thing apart, dry the pieces with a towel, then let them air dry during the day. When I get home in the evening I put it back together again. That way there's no question I'm doing everything I can to take care of it.