Thread: Oiling Blades then Stropping

So I've built up a collection of razors to the point where I think it's a good idea to oil the blades in between shaves to prevent rust. I'm using mineral oil. But I got to thinking, when they come up in the rotation will the oil on the blade gunk up my strop? Obviously I would wipe them down to get most off. But would it be a good practice to wash it off? What would you use to get the mineral oil off?

I wipe it with a towel, between finger and thumb, avoiding the edge. Then I wipe the edge on my thumb base with a stropping motion. Takes no time, and after a few years, still no apparent effect of mineral oil on the linen of the only strop I practically ever use.

I apply only a miniscule amount of mineral oil to every blade after I shave. I have done this for over a decade and have never bothered to wipe the blade before stropping. I have seen no ill effect on any of my strops.

If you do want to remove the oil, one square of tissue paper would do the job just fine.

Hot water will get the job done.

Utopian can check me on this, but the oil-application method I learned from him is to keep a thin rag with several drops of mineral oil on it (not much at all, just enough to feel it). Use this to wipe the blade, being sure the blade is completely dry first, so that you're not simply sealing in moisture. I keep the mineral-oil rag crumpled in a small jar so it stays supple.

Originally Posted by deepweeds

Utopian can check me on this, but the oil-application method I learned from him is to keep a thin rag with several drops of mineral oil on it (not much at all, just enough to feel it). Use this to wipe the blade, being sure the blade is completely dry first, so that you're not simply sealing in moisture. I keep the mineral-oil rag crumpled in a small jar so it stays supple.

More importantly keeping it in the jar keeps it clean.

I keep two sturdy shop quality paper towels wadded in a jar. The bottom one has mineral oil added to it and the upper one does not but it wicks oil from the lower one. The amount of oil in the lower one is much greater than the upper but it has to have enough to produce that wicking. Any way it is accomplished, you want to make sure the towel/rag has just a little oil in it.

wipe off, I agree.

I made my daily strop and sometimes put mineral oil on it to clean it off (it's just a piece of horse butt strip), and though I don't think mineral oil necessarily evaporates very fast, my strop seems to soak it all in.

I think any little bits that get on your strop from the razor you will find to get absorbed and assimilated pretty quickly. Unlike neatsfoot on cowhide, when I oil my strop and clean it, it's extremely slick until it dries out, and then it's just almost extremely slick (like horse butt often is).

Mineral oil will wash off easily, then wipe

I strop my razors before I oil them. Never had any problems...

For when I bother oiling my razors (not very often) i do pretty much what deepweeds and Utopian do, which is to keep an oily rag in a ziploc bag, and wipe the blade with it.
Sometimes I wipe it off prior to use, sometimes I forget.