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.

Given that the blade is a quarter hollow, you may be able to get to clean steel. But there is no way to know without trying to hone the razor (or trying to clean up the steel, if you want to restore it).

The steel will not continue to degrade on it's own. It is the gas that comes off the rotting scales that causes the degradation of the steel. The scales are dangerous, the razor is not.

As above, the blade itself is not a threat to other razors only the scales are suspect as they contain nitric acid which is leaching out from the celluloid.... If that is indeed the cause.
Only red rust is active so the stained areas should be safe from degrading. If it will clean up & hone up you'll be good to go.

I've never attempted to clean or restore before, but it looks like maybe now is a good time to start learning. I don't have a set of hones so I won't be doing any honing on this one. What would you suggest for the cleaning and polishing? Wet sanding?

If you start restoring before you've tried to find clean steel by honing, be prepared for the possibility that the razor may not be easily saved.

That said, yes, sanding is a good place to start. How low you want to go is up to you. Using a bit of oil during the sanding can help. I bet there is probably a tutorial either from the workshop sticky or in the wiki.