Thread: Razor maintenance

New to straight razor and want to make sure I keep it in good condition. Do y'all recommend placing oil on the razor after cleaning and stropping?

I think this is one of those subjects where you are going to get conflicting answers. The summary answer will be some do and others do not. I generally do not, but if i am shipping a razor I will always put a drop of oil at the pivot and then wrap the razor up in anti corrosion paper. For storage in general everything has a coat of renaissance wax and gets wrapped up and put away. Stuff I am using gets dried well after the shave, and a light stropping, then left to air until the next shave. Some of the variables you might want to consider is how much humidity is there at your house. Most do not store their razors in a bathroom with a shower in it. I think I am fairly careful and have had no issues. There are many products out there and many methods.

As above. Basically, not if I am going to use it again within a week or so. If longer it will get a coat of oil. If for extended periods it will get a coat of oil, and placed in a sealed plastic bag with a silica gel packet. I also use Autosol polish which leaves a water repellent coating. I'd advise just do as you feel but keep an eye on them, particularly those in storage for a while.

+1 on the Renaissance wax. i am very careful when shaving to keep my hands dry as well as the pivot area. keep my razors in a cedar box with some of the dehumidifying packets and have had no rust issues. only use oil on the pivot and sometimes on the edge for long storage.(the Ren wax won't let the oil stick any way, just sort of balls up)

After shaving I wipe off my blades with the same wash cloth I used to wipe off lather during my shave. My razors never get wet so "drying" them is easy. I follow the wipe with 3-5 laps on a newspaper strop than has been lightly impregnated with mineral oil. A very small amount of that oil is transferred onto the razors' bevels. After that I wipe the rest of the blade with a tyvek cloth that also has a small amount of mineral oil in it.

I wipe mine dry with toilet paper, strop it, then set it on the shelf to air dry. They might get a coat of ballistol every once in a while for cleaning, but daily/weekly use razors generally don't seem to require much more maintenance than that.

A lot depends on the humidity where you live and how much humidity remains in your bathroom or where you are storing your razors.

I only oil razors that are shipped or long term storage. I use a Qtip dipped in Ballistol for that.

For my daily shavers I just rinse well and wipe dry with a dry micro fiber towel, set out open, on the counter so the blade is out of the scales, just in case any moisture is between the scales.

I do have 2 fans in my bath and let them run at least 15 minutes, after showering.

Originally Posted by reyea02

New to straight razor and want to make sure I keep it in good condition. Do y'all recommend placing oil on the razor after cleaning and stropping?

After use I thoroughly dry my razor. I then do a few laps on the strop with the dedicated pasted leather strops to include CroMox and then I do a few passes on the linen or webbing then 25-30 passes on plain leather to set it up for the next shave. But prior to storing I apply a light coating of Ballistol for protection and even to my stainless razors.

For doing this I have never had a issue. I do at times get some hard water stains but they are easily removed with some Flitz and wiping clean.

Hope this helps a bit.

my razor maintenance for past few shaves has been limited to razor stropping, drying and storing. But lately it seems as if the GD has gotten sharper and is giving me some scary nicks and micro cuts. What could be wrong ? My concentration is wavering or is it something with the edge.

Originally Posted by almond

my razor maintenance for past few shaves has been limited to razor stropping, drying and storing. But lately it seems as if the GD has gotten sharper and is giving me some scary nicks and micro cuts. What could be wrong ? My concentration is wavering or is it something with the edge.

How long have you been straight shaving? If relatively new it may be that you are a bit overconfident now from success and getting a bit sloppy. Because to me, regardless of how sharp the razor is if you are shaving correctly you should be okay.