"Accelerated" rusting

A couple of weeks ago I found my old Dovo Special razor, bought in the eighties of last century, covered in rust. I hadn't used it for a while because it is very hard to hone. I removed most of the rust with a little wire brush and started to grind it to remove the burrs etc. Unfortunately, within 24/24 there was rust again on the freshly ground cutting edge. The razor was really dry before being put aside in a really dry room. I keep my working razors in a less dry bathroom and they do not seem to come to any harm.

Can anyone tell what causes this accelerated rusting? And what to do about it?

It could be celluloid rot. Celluloid, (cellulose nitrate, which is similar to gunpowder in chemical makeup) if it deteriorates, emits a highly corrosive gas that will rust razors very badly, indeed. If this is the case, you'll need to remove the scales and discard them before it primes other celluloid handles to break down, too.

if there's discoloration in the handle that is in the same areas as the accellerated rusting, it's a sure sign. If the celluloid smell is particularly strong on the razor, that's also a sure sign.

The scales emit a vinagery smell so I suppose you're right. Thanks for the tip!

I've also heard that if you store your razor in the same drawer or cabinet with your styptic pencil that it can cause rust too.

Kees, the smell is a dead giveaway - along with the rust, actually. If you haven't removed those handles, which should be quite brittle, indeed, do so immediately and discard them. It's the only way I know to save the blade.

This is very informative. I didn't know this about celluloid. Kees, make sure you also clean the blade thoroughly, to remove any rust-causing residue. Good luck!

some types of celluloid are much more prone to this type of off-gassing and deterioration than others. Multi-colored handles and some of the transluscent stuff was the worst, in my opinion. I still think celluloid is really nice stuff, but it should be kept away from UV light and heat to help preserve it. Celluloid is actually quite durable and will last for many decades, but some will eventually breakdown and cause problems, so razor collections should ALWAYS be checked very frequently. One razor with celluloid rot in a box with others can ruin everything in the box. If you ever noticed, some of the 7 day sets have one razor that's horribly rusted and the razors have diminishing rust damage, the farther away they are set from the razor that caused the problem. Also, you will notice a rust pattern that coincides with a discoloration or what appears to be a blemish in the celluloid. As it breaks down, it often changes color or texture and becomes very, very brittle. Slightly bend it and it will break like it was made of thin hard candy.

The brittleness (many break lines in an almost cobweb like pattern on one of the scales), multi-colouredness (imitatation tortoise) and "contagiousness" (other razor in same box) are exactly as you describe it! Thanks!

Be sure to carefully clean any razors that were in the "neighborhood" of this razor. As I understand it, this is contagious!

RT

Ok, you fellows have me worried now. How can I definitefly identify celluloid razors so I can remove them and replace them? Like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Glen F

Glen,

You really don't have to be paranoid about the celluloid rot that Kees is having to deal with. It can happen to any celluloid scales, but is generally more of a problem in high heat and humidity situations. The older the scales, the more liable they are to develop rot, but once it's started, it can affect other celluloid scales in close proximity to them regardless of their age.

Under normal use (if you have a rotation) you'll handle the razors on a very regular basis, and you can simply look them over carefully for any rusting, and sniff the scales occasionally to make sure they don't smell vinegary. If you notice them changing color, then you can have them rescaled.

If you have a collection that you don't normally shave with, it would be a good idea to check them regularly for any signs of the rot. This is not something that starts and causes great damage overnight. It takes a little while for it to progress.

You can usually identify the celluloid scales by their smell. Even when in good shape they have a very distinctive smell to them. Not quite like vinnegar but distinctive non the less.

Canerunner, I'm of the same opinion as you. I see no point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Celluloid scales are very nice and quite durable, but subject them to enough heat, UV, humidity, etc. and they [i]can[/b] begin to deteriorate and off-gas. I've got hundreds of razors with celluloid scales and have no intention of replacing any of those scales unless I don't llike the way they look. :)

These articles gives some very interesting facts on celluloid, including how to identify it. (did you know it's extremely flammable?)

http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid.html
http://www.collectics.com/education_plastic.html
http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/id.html
http://www.plasticfantastic.com/about.html

These articles give tips on identifying celluloid and article 2,3,4 gives tips on identifying bakelite and lucite.

Popular consensus is to BRIEFLY hold the handle under very hot water and see if you get a camphor or vinigar smell for celluloid. One method says to rub it by hand until warm to see if you get the nitrate smell.

If it was me doing the testing, I think I'd go about testing for bakelite first since it's the safest test. I'd rule out other materials first before putting a set of scales under hot water. Since I shower shave too though it's not an extreme problem. I want my shavers to be able to withstand more heat than I shower in

If you want a book to read, "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry" by Leigh Leshner, is touted as an identification guide.

So, whether you trust celluloid or not, or simply want the knowledge so that you can be better informed and can make educated decisions if/when the need arises. I hope this helps.

I don't have any razors that have high collectible value. None of the scales are fancy dancy. I just have a few that I keep simply because they were manufactured for barber supply stores in this local area. The rest are shavers. If they have celluloid I won't be disappointed in replacing them.

I forgot to add, article 3 on the mahjong tiles also includes identifying other materials such as bone, ivory, jade and others.

I've made these into word documents with credit given to each website within each word document. I'm trying to upload them into the help files for future reference. Getting problems though. I've sent a message asking about the problems.

Unless my memory is failing me (which is a distinct posssibility some say), celluloid is made of the same basic material (cellulose) as "guncotton", the only difference being that in guncotton, the cellulose is soaked in nitroglycerine to enhance the burning properties. Nitrocellulose is the basic ingredient for gunpowder (smokeless).

Yes! This stuff burns very well!