Thread: rubbing alcohol & rust

when i get a new razor (or used) i usually let the blade soak in rubbing alcohol for 5 min to hopefully sterilize it. then wipe it off and give er a bit of maaz polish and finish it with renwax. i noticed during the first shave or two with it will instantly stain a darker color where the water or soap sits for even a second causing me to have to re polish the blade after the first use which i assume removes the wax. is this a reaction with the soap or water to the alcohol, polish or renwax? it doesn't seem to happen if i don't 'take care' of the blades in this way when i first get them. it looks more like an instant patina greying rather then a red rust and it polishes back off easily but it is aggrivating.

Originally Posted by groovyd

when i get a new razor (or used) i usually let the blade soak in rubbing alcohol for 5 min to hopefully sterilize it. then wipe it off and give er a bit of maaz polish and finish it with renwax. i noticed during the first shave or two with it will instantly stain a darker color where the water or soap sits for even a second causing me to have to re polish the blade after the first use which i assume removes the wax. is this a reaction with the soap or water to the alcohol, polish or renwax? it doesn't seem to happen if i don't 'take care' of the blades in this way when i first get them. it looks more like an instant patina greying rather then a red rust and it polishes back off easily but it is aggrivating.

Daryl - No need to soak at all just dip it in. I would then dry it off with a hair dryer to make sure all of the water and alcohol are gone. If I wanted to polish I would do it before the dip, but not after.

Maas and then ren wax is redundant in my mind and only necessary if you need to either polish or to remove a stain. Soap and water should not do that to your blade without anything on the steel, but certainly will if you leave them wet. Mineral oil after you dry off your razor or some other oil of choice is what you should use rather than Maas or Ren Wax.

I am going to bet that your problem is water / soap reacting to your polishing and waxing. Leave them off.

That is my two cents worth.

Will N.

Originally Posted by WillN

Daryl - No need to soak at all just dip it in.

WillN is right, alcohol works by desiccating bacteria, the flash evaporation kills bacteria...you need a minimum of 60% alcohol for it to be effective.

I agree it seems to happen if I do this process. I always dry the blade then let set to further air dry then coat with razor oil and lightly wipe the excess oil off before putting it away. I guess I am wondering if any of these things is known to promote patina, it is actually more like dark grey staining that won't wipe off without polish.

I use rubbing alcohol out of the plastic drug store bottle. Just open the blade and submerge the blade only for 5 min but I always thought perhaps just a dip is enough to kil anything rather then letting it soak. I also had a bottle of that barbasol I used for a week or two before a curious friend broke the bottle ;( it was more of a novelty then anything practical.

Lately instead of the razor oil (light mineral oil) I have been spraying on clippercide instead.

Are you a germaphobe? How about letting the discoloration remain and let it be a protective tarnish?

Originally Posted by AxelH

Are you a germaphobe? How about letting the discoloration remain and let it be a protective tarnish?

that is one option... i do however prefer the polished look to the rustic look and coincidentally only started using the alcohol to sterilize blades after reading a thread on here where people warned of getting everything from hepatitis to aids from not sterilizing purchased razors.

Originally Posted by groovyd

I agree it seems to happen if I do this process. I always dry the blade then let set to further air dry then coat with razor oil and lightly wipe the excess oil off before putting it away. I guess I am wondering if any of these things is known to promote patina, it is actually more like dark grey staining that won't wipe off without polish.

I use rubbing alcohol out of the plastic drug store bottle. Just open the blade and submerge the blade only for 5 min but I always thought perhaps just a dip is enough to kil anything rather then letting it soak. I also had a bottle of that barbasol I used for a week or two before a curious friend broke the bottle ;( it was more of a novelty then anything practical.

Lately instead of the razor oil (light mineral oil) I have been spraying on clippercide instead.

So What is it you are doing? Oil, Maaz , Ren Wax? or clippercide? Maybe I got off track here. Your original question was involving a process of rubbing alcohol then Maas then Ren Wax. I can understand how that combo could cause discoloration.

Hepatitus etc is really better killed by bleach, but I don't think I would put blades in that, I have no idea what it would do, but probably nothing. Quick dip in alcohol and then dry thoroughly and a little oil. You won't catch anything doing that unless you cram the pivot down into a cut and wallow it around. Or, put it under a UV light for a while like the old barbers did / do with all clippers and such.

Will N.

Well the reason for the confusion is I don't really have a 'process', I mean I experiment with different things but the common theme when getting a new blade is alcohol and polish and wax, with alcohol and polish sometimes out of order. then i strop it up good and put either a final coat of camelia oil or razor oil or this spray of clippercide on it before putting it away. After using it I dry good and if it is tarnished as mentioned I would polish and then strop and re-apply oil or spray. So that loosely defines the 'process' I guess.

Personally the sterilization to me is a 'whatever' sort of thing. I mean I don't want to end up with aids or hepatitis but I am not entirely convinced the threat is real. After the initial sterilization I don't really worry about it getting too dangerous but recently figured the clippercide would be a good and easy all-in-one thing as it cleans, protects, lubricates, and disinfects all together. It might in fact be all hogwash. What do I know. I got lots of stuff and products and play with everything and hopefully someday maybe it all converges on a real 'process' that actually makes sense.

Alright. I use the alcohol (isopropyl, 70%) just to try for something better than soap and water after using tape, as a solvent. The incidental use is a bacteriacide, though maybe not as effective if used specifically for that. After the MASS polish and the alcohol and scrubbing with all of that, trip on the hones so the edge is totally new... how the heck can anything really live after that? I also use Tuf-Glide. Just the mineral spirits used as the carrier for the active ingredient(s) would be, like, totally killer, dude. Mineral oil is a natural antibacterial, a non-toxic laxative, cutting board oil that is also useful for protecting sensitive carbon steels... It just seems like overkill.

Would be interesting to find the culprit in all of this, though. I haven't encountered this problem and I don't have the wax, FWIW.

Originally Posted by groovyd

that is one option... i do however prefer the polished look to the rustic look and coincidentally only started using the alcohol to sterilize blades after reading a thread on here where people warned of getting everything from hepatitis to aids from not sterilizing purchased razors.

The fact is that rusty old razors are unlikely to have seen any use in a long time. Any blood containing germs would have to be still wet to be a health threat.
This is the reason hypo needles are dangerous the blood inside does not dry out easily due to the lack of exposure.
There are of course bacterial spores etc that may exist a long time which makes a good case for restorative measures.
I haven't seen any posts on any shave forums by a member who contracted aids or hepatitis from razors.