Rust Lines? Newb

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Back Story:
So about a month ago I purchased a straight razor from "The Art of Shaving" for $150 (Face Palm, I know... newb mistake). Either way I attempt to shave the first time and find out it probably needs to be sharpened hence the card for local sharpener they gave me. So I set it to the side, and buy a straight online from a reputable dealer a month later. I also bought some oil for the blades to keep them from rusting. So I go to shave, practice side burn shaves in accordance with a newb guide I read. When i'm done I put some oil on my new blade and tuck it away in its sock. Then I pull out my art of shaving razor from its leather holder to put some oil on it...

The issue:
I'll post a pic later but all along the spine are rust lines, not blotches but lines. Its like they are engraved into the spine... nowhere else, just the spin all the way down to the shoulder. At first I thought "stupid me" did I really leave facial hair on the blade... then I noticed they didn't come off, next I noticed they have cut into the steel.

The question:
Anyone ever have happen this before? I would love nothing more then to tell "The Art of Shaving" their item is defective...

The resolve:
However if its my mistake, i'll still keep it. It makes it look unique in a way.

I'm afraid that you'll have to post a picture of the spine before you'll receive an accurate assessment of the what the potential problem could be.

I would get it out of the leather holder. It may be trapping some moisture. That's all that I can think of.

Also possible that you dried the blade but left moisture in the scales. But yeah, with a picture, a lot of these guys could give you a surer answer.

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Originally Posted by deepweeds

Also possible that you dried the blade but left moisture in the scales. But yeah, with a picture, a lot of these guys could give you a surer answer.

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This was my first thought too.
Do the lines line up with the scales when the razor is closed?

Pics posted

I have had two customers come to me to hone their razors with the same problem. I cleaned it up with mothers metal polish. If really bad The Art of Shaving should replace the razor. After use dry well and oil lightly. Do not store in leather pouch.

From my novice perspective, it doesn't appear that the scales have anything to do with the rust on the spine as the spine would sit above the top of the scales. It is more likely to be a damp leather holder.

There is a rule that every gun owner is taught early on

Never ever, not ever !!!! store your weapon in a Leather Holster...

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

There is a rule that every gun owner is taught early on

Never ever, not ever !!!! store your weapon in a Leather Holster...

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never ever, not ever even if its oiled really well? i had a customer store a custom razor, coated in oil and placed in a leather pouch. the razor ended up covered with micro pitting. im making a replacement for the customer but i was curious if something in the leather (Tannins) may be a culprit or perhaps the razor wasnt dried thoroughly enough before oiling, thus the oil trapped any moisture close to the blade surface and caused the rust. is any of that plausible?

Leather causes metal to rust I believe because it contains moisture from the atmosphere? I've heard that somewhere but it's generally not encouraged to store razors in leather cases.

Are you sure The Art of Shaving sleeve is real leather?
And don't worry about messing up with the AS razor. We have all messed up one way or another at some time, I would guess. Some more than others, not that I would know anything about that.

I'm currently storing my rotation in a leather roll. I haven't had any tarnish or rust issues for the month they have been in there. I do thoroughly dry them before putting them back in and I do not store the roll in the bathroom. There is a Thiers Issard 6/8 from TAOS.

Maybe ive gotten lucky, but i store various well dried straights in a cordovan sleeve (makr) with no ill effects. It doesn't close like the TI sheathes though.

If you look it up on knife collector sites they'll say not to store blades in leather because of the acids etc. used in the tanning process. I learned this the hard way with a knife gettin damaged. And as someone else said earlier in this thread not to store guns in leather holsters as well.
I also saw on the S&W site they do not recommend oiling a gun to store it. They've found that it attracts and holds dust, which attracts moisture and they see guns coming back for repair tha have a distinctive speckled pattern of rust because of it.
I've also read on several other sites dealing with metals that also do not recommend oil for storage/protection. It seems like it should work but ultimately it doesn't .

That knife collectors's site is spot on. Too bad they weren't around earlier. I'm sure the amateurs in Solingen could have learned lots of interesting stuff from them. For example, I guess I was bloody lucky to have picked up dozens of NOS blades from the 30s onwards covered in... oil.

Coming back to the original post: Forgot to properly dry the razor, covered residual water with oil, rust. Same old, same old.

Oh, yes, and that's is one hell of an attitude: 'I would love nothing more then to tell "The Art of Shaving" their item is defective...' As my late East Prussian grandmother used to say, "It's fine to have an attitude, only, you have to earn it first." Long way to go.

rsbyrn, you may have stumbled into restoration work by accident. If I were you (and I know I'm not), I would accept my misstep, and clean up the AS blade. If possible I would buff out the logo if it is applied and not etched. Then I would hone it and call it mine. It is a TI razor, not an AS razor.

And don't close for 12 hours or so until it air dries!

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Originally Posted by bouschie

I have had two customers come to me to hone their razors with the same problem. I cleaned it up with mothers metal polish. If really bad The Art of Shaving should replace the razor. After use dry well and oil lightly. Do not store in leather pouch.

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That's quite a mess. Did you rinse all the lather off with very hot water, then dry it with a tissue, leave it open for a while before closing? That appears to be a lot of rust/staining for a short period of time.

Not criticizing, just exploring your post-shave process.

Sorry, but if the razor has been dried properly and then oiled, residual moisture from leather will not be a problem. Because the "moisture" contained therein will be less than the air moisture in most countries. And I did not get the impression that the original poster lived somewhere in Asia.

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

Not criticizing, just exploring your post-shave process.

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That is modern Solingen steel. Unless the leather pouch was soaked in water for hours prior to use, there is no way storing the razor in its pouch could have caused that much rust.

Therefore, user error. It happens. Grab some metal polish, and a cloth, 15 minutes later there will be hardly any traces of said user error left. Problem solved.

Well maybe i'm doing it wrong but I have about 8 blades I have been storing in leather pouches. Spring through Fall, the weather here in the New York City area is fairly humid most days. A couple of years using these nifty leather cases has yielded absolutely zero rust. Call me lucky maybe, I don't even oil them any more. I am however very meticulous when it comes to post shave cleaning and drying of the blades. Not saying right or wrong just sharing my observations. Thiers Issard include a leather pouch with most of their razors, I doubt they would do so if it was corrosive to the metal. I imagine the gratuitous YMMV is in order here.