Why is it when i find a razor that has nice scales and I want to keep it that way, the blade and inside of the scales are gunked up.

Why is it that when I clean up a dirty, gunky razor with scales I want to keep, the worst side is always the one with the brand name on it.

Why is it when I think I can clean up a dirty, gunky razor with scales I want to keep, I always try to clean it with the scales on and ennd up taking it apart to clean then reassemble.

Is it just me?

I had 8 razors that I have kept back in the pile that all had nice scales that I wanted to keep the blades in instead of rescaling. Of course the blades seemed in great shape except the last user put them away wet and full of soap. At least that's what it seemed like. Of course a full cleaning, disassembly, polish both scales and blades and then reassemble was the order of the day.

Are we as a whole more particular in our blades than those in the past? Or is it that the original owner was like we are, but someone else down the line tried it out, said no way, and put it up as is?

I've seen many blades with rust about from humidity and age, but the nice blades put away with soap and such still on them baffles me. Even more baffling is the amount of gunk found on the inside of the scales.

This is kind of a hapless rant caused by a day long cleaning of razors, but I am also looking for similar stories and maybe a reason as to why this happens.

What have you guys seen as to good blades gone bad?

Jerry