Just finished my very first shave: got a question!

Greetings SRP, this is my second post, so still very new to the forum and also to straight razor shaving. I recently received a 'sight unseen' razor along with the 'poor man's strop kit' from Larry over at whippeddog.com (whom, by the way, I can't recommend enough: unbelievable service from that guy, and great products) and just finished my first shave minutes ago. It went better than expected; though I caught my left ear lobe pretty good, I survived with no razor burn and just one slight nick to the neck that disappeared with some cold water. Anyways, I absolutely loved it, and I owe it all to the posting you guys do here! After a good bit of research on the forum, this is what my set up was:

-Hot shower, exfoliating scrub to clean/prep beard, followed by conditioner.
-Rinse conditioner off, lather up with badger brush and Proraso,
-Pass 1 WTG, rinse and lather up again, pass 2 WTG (playing it safe!)
-Followed by cold water, alum block, and Proraso pre/post balm.

Overall experience was great, and I can't wait to strop for the first time and give it another go again tomorrow. Quick question though; Larry sent a few notes with the razor, and mentioned that one should keep the razor coated with oil between shaves. He used vaseline during shipment, and I gotta say that was a pain to get off without damaging the edge. Do you guys keep your blades covered in oil to prevent oxidation/rust between shaves? This is the first time I've seen anything on the topic, as I hadn't encountered that advice here on the forum or anywhere else.

Cheers!

Welcome to SRP and its wealth of information. As you have already read, there are as many approaches to doing a shave as there are members. I'm waiting for the one member that says his best shave are when he's hanging upside down from a trapeze bar. As for blade maintenance, I follow my mentor's approach. Strop a little before shave, strop a lot after shave. Clean razor. Make sure any and all moisture is removed. Slip of toilet paper between the scales to trap any water there. A small drop or two of mineral oil to coat the blade, especially at the pivot point. Wipe off excess till next use.

Remember, if you don't find it among the posts, ask, ask, ask. There is always an answer out there.

Shave safely

I do the same as mentioned above. Some may say its not necessary to put oil on after each use or strop after but its so easy so why not. But definitely dry off everything before you put it away at the very least.

Razorfeld has covered it nicely. My maintenance begins during the shave by using a dry to slightly damp sponge to wipe the lather onto. At the end of the shave, and being very careful of the edge, I wipe the blade with a pad of toilet tissue to remove any seen residue. I then strop and after stropping I add a small squirt of INOX from the pump bottle in my shaving cabinet, to the blade and pivot. I then wipe the excess off with a cotton ball. The cotton ball, while clean looking, is re-used and can be used instead of the spray when it gets a bit more oil saturation.

In short, a light film of oil on the blade after ensuring it is dry, is only going to benefit you in the long run.


Mick

Much like Mick, except my blade has never been "wifed" must be a rare and archaic shaving term :). I have a rag soaked in inox that I wipe my blade down with prior to storage.

¡ ʇnɔ ǝq oʇ ʎpɐǝɹ ǝɹoɯ puɐ dn puɐʇs ɹıɐɥ ǝɥʇ sǝʞɐɯ ǝzǝǝɹq ǝɥʇ ˙ƃuıƃuıʍs uǝɥʍ ʇsǝq sı ɹɐq ǝzǝdɐɹʇ ǝɥʇ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MickR

At the end of the shave, and being very careful of the edge, I wipe the blade with a pad of toilet tissue to remove any seen residue.

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This is something I have a question about - how do you clean a blade by wiping it if it's really the edge that's most crucial to get clean of water, residue, and such, yet it's the edge that's so sensitive and prone to being damaged/dulled by even such things as tissue and cotton swabs? How do you make sure the oil gets all the way out there to preserve that delicate edge without dulling it in the process? Do you wipe longwise, or in the direction you would if you were stropping, etc.?

I have put down my hand full of salted almonds to answer this. I fold up a tissue into a pad and wipe the blade as if I was stropping it - spine leading. Any other way could damage the edge and your skin. I will now resume eating almonds. Shave safely and satisfyingly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 10Pups

¡ ʇnɔ ǝq oʇ ʎpɐǝɹ ǝɹoɯ puɐ dn puɐʇs ɹıɐɥ ǝɥʇ sǝʞɐɯ ǝzǝǝɹq ǝɥʇ ˙ƃuıƃuıʍs uǝɥʍ ʇsǝq sı ɹɐq ǝzǝdɐɹʇ ǝɥʇ

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I don't use oil- just dry well with TP, minding the scales and pivot. I then strop after to dry and polish the edge. I keep the razor open in a razor stand usually over night. I replace my blade it the morning to my cedar pen box that I store my rotation in. Inside the box I keep packs of silca gel that keep the nix bone dry... Never ran in to a problem this way. I know a ton of folks who use Rennisance Wax. People swear by that stuff.