Thread: Little help.

Originally Posted by DZEC

Having just encountered a case of celluloid rot on a razor I have to ask if you have celluloid scales on either of those razors.

What does celluloid rot look like ?

Good news if i isn’t cel rot.

Here’s a pic of mine

So that "rust" did that amount of damage to the blade ? the chip...half circle?

All of my razors were stored in the basement for a long time. I actually thought they were gone, and then walla! they appeared in the bottom of box. I was overjoyed to find them, but dismayed when I opened the blades. All of mine are in pretty bad shape.

When I am done shaving I will wipe the blade dry and let it sit open while I finish up rinsing my face or whatever else I need to do. Once all that is done I give it a few laps on a linen strop to make sure that the edge is dry and there isn't any soap, skin or whatever particles left on the edge. It seems to help in making sure that the razor is dry before putting them away. I would also check and make sure that there isn't any soap or water inside of the scales after using. A few times I would come back to a razor and notice that I had some soap residue inside of the scales when I shaved in a rush and got messy.

Originally Posted by churley

So that "rust" did that amount of damage to the blade ? the chip...half circle?

All of my razors were stored in the basement for a long time. I actually thought they were gone, and then walla! they appeared in the bottom of box. I was overjoyed to find them, but dismayed when I opened the blades. All of mine are in pretty bad shape.

No, the chip was caused by something the previous owner did. I found the razor at an antique dealer.

The black stuff along the edge is the result of the celluloid rot of the scales. Fortunately, I caught it early enough that the blade seems to be relatively easy to clean up. I will trash the scales to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Originally Posted by DZEC

The black stuff along the edge is the result of the celluloid rot of the scales. Fortunately, I caught it early enough that the blade seems to be relatively easy to clean up. I will trash the scales to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

DZEC, thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess I have celluloid rot. So I need to clean up my blades, and trash the scales ???

Originally Posted by churley

DZEC, thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess I have celluloid rot. So I need to clean up my blades, and trash the scales ???

ALWAYS trash scales that cause celluloid rot, but that's my opinion

That is IF that's what's happening in your case

Originally Posted by churley

DZEC, thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess I have celluloid rot. So I need to clean up my blades, and trash the scales ???

Can’t say for sure. Can you post some pics of your razors’ scales? I didn’t know mine were celluloid until some of the experienced mentors and senior members on SRP looked at my photos and identified the scale material.

If they aren’t celluloid, it might just be rust or tarnish due to moisture. There are members here who know much more than I about this.

So whadda ya think ?

Looks very much like it could be celluloid rot.

If it is just tarnish, metal polish like MAAS or Autosol can remove most ofit.

Cudarunner suggested to me to put each razor in a separate ziplock for several days after cleaning them up. If it comes back, it is celluloid rot.

I suggest you post the picks to a new thread asking if it is cel rot. That way you are likely to get better advice and more informed suggestions than I can provide.

Good luck.