Thread: What to do with the knife after shaving?

Originally Posted by vmathis12019

Yeah definitely don't use motor oil. The olive oil would work, but it's more viscous than what I use. Our bathroom is often cold in the mornings, and I think olive oil would gum up. I have a bottle of Classic Shaving brand oil that came with my Hart razors. It works great, but others might have a better suggestion. It's just what I use, and it does a good job.

Ty, Will try and get some proper oil when I have money

The baby oil are made of Canola oil btw.

Originally Posted by Einar

The baby oil are made of Canola oil btw.

I'm not sure what type of baby oil you have, but consumer baby oil is made of mineral oil with a bit of fragrance in it.

I used to use baby oil on my razor, but I didn't like my razor having that type of fragrance. I switched to food-grade mineral oil (USP), which is the type sold in pharmacies. Nowadays, I only use mineral oil for the razor pivot area after honing the razor, just to give it a light lube.

After shaving, I just wipe the razor and scales dry with a piece of toilet paper, then follow it with stropping on linen and leather, 10 strokes each.

Is baby oil still any good to keep the razor clean/smooth and all? I don't have my strop yet personally, so I'm looking for the best solutions of keeping the blade neat until I do.

First, outstanding that you care enough about your blades to want to properly dry and store them! Good for you AND your SRs!

RW is a great product for restoration and would likely help keep your metal clean - but I think it's a bit of overkill for use after each shave. That will get VERY expensive over time. Einar I can't find where you are located but up here in the Rockies I deal with a normal humidity level of about 15%. Around here all I need to do after a shave is to rinse the razor well, dry the blade completely and carefully with a clean towel (don't use the one you may have just used to dry yourself off), blow a few breaths into the scales to make sure they're mostly dry and then leave the blade out overnight. I've NEVER developed new rust on a blade.

When I travel to more humid climates (e.g., most of the rest of the world) I do the same but also place the blade where I'm sure it will get moving air to dry better. However, if I lived in a humid climate and wanted to coat my blades after use I'd use Camellia Oil. That's what I use to coat a blade when shipping it and also for blades that I place into storage. It's certainly much less expensive than RW, easier to remove, and probably has less harmful side effects to your face. I bought a few 245ml bottles a few years back and can't recall where I bought them, but it was online. It's been a few years and I'm still only a quarter of the way through the first bottle. If I come across the receipt I'll reply again.

Best of luck!

Originally Posted by Baltasar

Is baby oil still any good to keep the razor clean/smooth and all? I don't have my strop yet personally, so I'm looking for the best solutions of keeping the blade neat until I do.

I've started using baby oil in isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle - having it quite dilute makes it easy to apply a very thin layer of oil.

(I got the tip from someone on one of the forums and I can't remember who or which forum, so thanks whoever you are)

Originally Posted by henryconchile

.... I switched to food-grade mineral oil (USP), which is the type sold in pharmacies. Nowadays, I only use mineral oil for the razor pivot area after honing the razor, just to give it a light lube.

After shaving, I just wipe the razor and scales dry with a piece of toilet paper, then follow it with stropping on linen and leather, 10 strokes each.

Exactly what I do.

I have and have used RenWax, but my water hot water seems to fog the wax, so I've stopped using it, other than for polishing the scales...

I don't oil the blade while in rotation. I just set it on my dresser after drying and stropping.

I used Mineral Oil cut with IsoAlc. I keep it in a small dropper bottle. On drop is enough for two blades depending on size.