Thread: Cell rot

Well I hate having to post this but when you have a razor with cell rot is that it? I got a few razors that were my great grandfathers and most of them are great except for one which definitely looks like it has cell rot to me. I put it in a plastic bag for now so it is away from the others but now I don't really know what to do with it. Can it be spared perhaps? Or does my razor have a terminal condition?

If it is rot, the scales terminal, but the blade can certainly be used forever in a new suit.

Maybe post some pics? Maybe you are just seeing water staining/damage to the blade (fingers crossed)

Okay. Here are some pics. Brace yourselves it's ugly. You can see the rust on the lower half of the blade wipes away easily and leaves behind the darker color which I'm hoping doesn't look like cell rot to anyone. The scales were broken when I got it. Too bad they didn't get thrown out a long time ago...

Also, here's a link to what this razor should look like. I wish it did too....

Bowdin "Bowdin's Wedge Hand Made" 5/8 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

What do you guys think?

I left the surface rust on the blade for the pictures so you could see the condition it had been stored in. I have since wiped the rust off the blade and now it is all darkish colored where the rust was - you get the idea from the last pic I'm sure. Basically it's dark where the blade was in the scales and it's lighter where it wasn't...

Regardless of whether it had cell rot the scales are broken so should be removed.
Second step would be to see if you can find steel that will hone up under that rust.

So the rust was not really a problem, it wiped right off with a damp cloth. The blade definitely has that darker, sort of mottled color underneath the rust and more specifically, where the scales were. I'll try to put an updated picture up in the morning. Will this area continue to degrade or is it just a stain so to speak? I think that the blade could be polished and honed but will it just keep rotting even in new scales? Is it safe to put it near my other razors? Sorry if these questions seem stupid - I don't want to mess around with something that eats razors and I've never encountered this before.

Originally Posted by mrbison

Well I hate having to post this but when you have a razor with cell rot is that it? I got a few razors that were my great grandfathers and most of them are great except for one which definitely looks like it has cell rot to me. I put it in a plastic bag for now so it is away from the others but now I don't really know what to do with it. Can it be spared perhaps? Or does my razor have a terminal condition?

If you have cell rot the scales are out gassing acid vapors.
A plastic bag will protect the other razors but not steel
in the bag. Once the scales begin to go there is no turning
back, they will continue to out gas corrosive vapors and
get fragile. One tell is that the corrosion is worst on
the part of the blade covered by the scales. If another
razor in the box has bad scales the corrosion on other
razors will not be as bad on the part of the blade covered
by the scales.


Protect the steel with something even Vaseline or mineral oil
from further damage.

If the steel is not beyond help, some of the vendors have
inexpensive plastic replacement scales. Some have brass
pins, some have micro screw fasteners.

You can postpone replacing the scales long enough to
cleanup, hone, strop and shave test. If the blade is
gone -- it is gone. The important part for shaving
is the 3/16 of an inch near the edge (or less).

Always oil razors well before putting them up
for a longish time.