Thread: Staining/pitting

Hi guys, a bit of a beginners question here I think. Due to a first shave incident a couple months ago involving wet scales, my blade has some stains where it comes in contact with the scales when closed, and a few stains a little bit above the edge. Disappointing to be sure, but I figured they were just cosmetic and so left them. However, I noticed today a darker spot on one of the stains, and I can't tell if it has been worsening and maybe started pitting, or I just somehow looked at it differently (shown in this photo)
So my question is, does this look like pitting, and what can I do about this? I figure this would be caused by moisture in the scales being against the blade, though I dry the scales and oil the blade with mineral oil after every shave. Any other preventative measures, and any way to remove this? I've read that metal polish easily removes gold wash; if I apply the polish carefully with a Q-tip might I get away with it? Or is it still not advisable? (if it is, what kind of metal polish should be used, and how?).
Here are two more photos showing the stain on the other side, and (kind of) the staining above the edge.

Thanks!

I can't really make out any spotting on your blade, so I don't think it is too bad. Yes, metal polish will remove any staining/patina that forms but you want to avoid the lettering and of course the edge. I personally use Flitz, but most any metal polish will work just fine on a simple carbon steel blade.
After shaving, I use bathroom tissue to dry off the blade and scales immediately after shaving. I then strop a few times on linen to make sure the edge is dry and leave the razor open on my razor shelf. I put it back in its proper place next time I go to pick a razor.
Remember that if you are dealing with carbon steel, so staining can and will happen. Take care of your razors and you won't have any real problems save for an occasional spot.
Enjoy the hobby, and don't stress out over a little discoloration!

I can't make out anything from the photos. What I do after shaving is wipe the blade off gently with a bar towel, then strop it, and leave it out opened to air-dry for 1-1/2 hrs. or all day as the case may be. Once it has dried like this, I dip it into a solution of 4 pts. methyl alcohol to 1 pt. pharmacy grade mineral oil and again leave the razor out opened for around 15 mins., for the alcohol to evaporate (alcohol can attack the scales). Then it is folded up and put away. No problems for me in using this method, which really sounds more complicated than it is.

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback. I'm still trying to get a feel for spotting and assessing problems. Seems I should let the razor sit open longer, as it is I've only been giving it 10 or 15 minutes before oiling it and putting it away. It's fairly humid where I live, as well...
Also, sorry for the quality of the photos. I've marked the staining on them here in blue, and the darker part that I'm worried about in pink on the first photo (kind of hard to see, but it's inside the blue area).

You've been given some good tips here. And you're right, metal polishes will remove gold wash. An easy thing to do is simply place some tape ( masking , the blue stuff etc) over the gold as some insurance. Then go ahead with the polish and work out the spots.

Remember to not leave your razor in the bathroom because of the moisture. And in place of oiling I've be very happy using Ren-wax to protect my razors. No mess , neat and clean.

Just one additional thought to add to the others here. If a razor isn't completely dry, oil can trap moisture against the blade, so unless I'm not going to use the razor for a week, I don't oil them at all and I never oil them within 24 hours after use. May not be necessary, but it has worked for me, and I live a a beach town with .5 miles of the Atlantic, so it's fairly humid, always, as I imagine Shanghai is.

I had the same question a while back, and, after listening to all the "experts" tell me about this and that, one person offered me a clue as to the possible culprit: the municipal water supply!

My straights all developed spots almost immediately after shaving no matter what I tried. Then I tried distilled water and sure enough, no more spots! I got rid of the previous spots/tarnish with mothers or flitz - either one worked just fine for me. Now I stick to only using distilled water to shave with. Maybe a bit of a pain, but nothing close to the effort I expended polishing my straight with q-tips and elbow grease.

Just my $0.02. Best of luck to you!