Thread: sigh

First shave on new Koraat razor, went nice. I dried razor stropped on linen then leather when finished and let it dry for 20 minutes. I come back and of course there is tiny spec of rust sigh. Did a bunch of laps on coti with just water to get it out (still visible where it was but gone mostly) then finished on shoubdani. Hopefully the edge is still as good or better on next shave.

A fraction of the bevel with or larger than the bevel?

pretty small dot, good portion of it on the bevel and some off on the side. Not to worried it is a razor after all, I will just make sure there is no rust in bevel and get back to shaving. Lesson learned hopefully

The best way to avoid corrosion is to never let your blade get wet. Instead of running it under water or dipping it in the sink (both of which put your blade at risk of impact as well as rust) you might consider using a dry washcloth to wipe lather off your blade.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The best way to avoid corrosion is to never let your blade get wet.

I think Utopian meant to say "The best way to avoid corrosion is to never let your blade 'remain' wet."
Getting your blade wet is basically unavoidable, after all this is wet shaving...
Don't have a Koraat, but some razors will develop rust faster than others. And yes, it can occur within minutes.

At the end of a shave I rinse my razor under the hot tap as hot as I can get it, knock the spine on the edge of my sink to displace as much residual water as I can, wipe razor and scales with a tissue, 20 or so laps on the strop rough leather, 24 hours to air dry. Never had a problem with rust.

Usually when I shave I will shave half of my face, use water to rinse lather then the other half. After I shave my two halves I rinse lather off then I use rag to dry razor before I lather up again. I think I just didn't notice a spot when I left t to dry or something like that. Will try just wipijgnlather on rag though and see what I think of that. Thanks for help

I hope that so.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The best way to avoid corrosion is to never let your blade get wet. Instead of running it under water or dipping it in the sink (both of which put your blade at risk of impact as well as rust) you might consider using a dry washcloth to wipe lather off your blade.

Originally Posted by Grazor

I think Utopian meant to say "The best way to avoid corrosion is to never let your blade 'remain' wet."
Getting your blade wet is basically unavoidable, after all this is wet shaving...
Don't have a Koraat, but some razors will develop rust faster than others. And yes, it can occur within minutes.

At the end of a shave I rinse my razor under the hot tap as hot as I can get it, knock the spine on the edge of my sink to displace as much residual water as I can, wipe razor and scales with a tissue, 20 or so laps on the strop rough leather, 24 hours to air dry. Never had a problem with rust.

No. I meant what I said.

I NEVER let water get on my razors. Yes, lather has a water component, but lather does not wet the blade in the same manner that water does. Lather does not flow into the pivot. My blades never have "residual water," and so there is no concern about removing it. Residual lather is easily removed with a simple wipe.

If you can see visible rust 20 minutes after drying your blade, I would be concerned either about the quality of your water or about possible contamination of your linen and leather strops.

Water and oxygen alone are sufficient to cause oxidation of the blade, especially the thin edge. However, the rate of oxidation should not be so rapid as to cause a visible reaction to occur in 20 minutes. However, any salts (especially chlorides, fluorides, sulfates, and nitrates) or any acids (pH less than 7.0) contacting the edge of your blade could enhance the rate of oxidation. You might want to contact your water supplier to see what is in your water.

The water in my community is slightly alkaline rather than acidic. However, I have a water softener, so the water contains chlorides. I dry the blade with tissue paper and then allow it to air dry on my bedroom dresser overnight before storing it in a closed container.

One thing you might try is dipping your blade in 91% isopropyl alcohol and then allowing the alcohol to evaporate before storing your razor. If 91% is not available in your locality, then 70% isopropyl alcohol can be used, but get then 91% if you can. The 91% concentration is the concentration at which water and alcohol evaporate at the same rate, so it is excellent for drying your blade. I mix the alcohol with a little oil to leave behind a protective layer when the alcohol is gone. I use a non-toxic vegetable based penetrating lubricant called Ultra Lube, but you can use other oils designed for use on razors or guns as well.

I got a Koraat for Christmas and have used it many times. I have not had this trouble, so I don't think that it is the steel.

It looks like you have been at this hobby for a few years so I don't think that it is likely to be your drying technique either.

It sounds like it is just dumb luck, I can't imagine that you missed anything with your cleanup routine. Maybe something dropped on the blade after you set it down to air dry.

If it happens again and does seem like it's the steel I'm sure Ulrik would want to hear about it his customer service is excellent.

Good luck and I hope that this is just a one off and you have no further issues.