Thread: Vaseline/Baby Oil/WD40

Originally Posted by Splashone

The ultimate extended storage would be in container capable of holding a vacuum since it is really oxygen in the presence of humidity that is the problem. A good vacuum = 0% humidity and almost no oxygen

That's basically Colorado above 5,000 feet. The only rust I've see here was imported from purchases elsewhere. Okay sorry, smarta$$ backing slowly away - resume the discussion...

Try not to get any water past the shoulder of your blade. After cleaning, wipe down with some toilet tissue. Now here is the key. Go out and buy a can of compressed air - the stuff we use to keep dust off the computer. "Spray" down the blade, inside the scales, the point where the pin and shoulder meet. After you are comfortable that you removed all moisture, leave the blade open, resting on a clean cloth, away from moisture. After a while, oil it down and store. As others, I use a cigar box. I think you should use something that keeps your blade clean, dry and safe. I would not use anything that is sealed. Good luck.

Another experienced razor enthusiast put me on to these silicone socks. I get them in Toronto (they ship all over Canada), from Mens Essentials / Superior Shave.

After properly drying the razor, between the scales, etc...I place my razors tang / pivot down (the most likely place for rust to occur), in one of these. I keep them in two large cigar boxes to allow them to "breathe".

Here's the description:

This is an effective anti-rust solution for a lifetime; it is not merely a barrier prohibiting entry of moisture, but rather a tool which continually draws moisture from the inside to the outside; think of it as creating a reduced-humidity 'fog' within and beyond the razor, and the more arid the environment in which the razor's stored the bigger the foggy area. Simply store the straight razor inside and leave in the open so that the moisture wicked away from the interior to the exterior can evaporate.

Made for decades by hand in the USA by various American firms for the firearms industry (known as "gun sleeves", "silicone cloths", etc. etc.), these particular oil-and-silicone-treated-cotton sleeves are from 100% USA materials/labor and make oiling steel within potentially irrelevant. The makers say to not oil the steel for any razor stored inside the sleeve, for this can seal moisture under a film of oil (they've also decreed that if one insists on using both sleeve and oil, use a product which allows evaporation-by name they recommended Ballistol)

You can also buy the gun sleeves at most any outdoor store that sells firearms & most Wal Marts; then get your wife or someone to sew it in sections, then cut it apart with scissors,,,, you can make over a dozen razor sleeves with 1 gun sock,,,about 15 minutes of straight line sewing for someone with a machine,,,you can even section them larger to store your knives in.