Thread: Rust On Blade?

I make it a practice to give my razor a few seconds under a low heat blow dryer after towel drying it. That seems to take care of any moisture that I might have missed with the towel. It seems to work well. So far, anyway.

I wipe the razor and leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes while I clean up. Then I do about 15-20 laps on the strop to make sure the edge is dry. That does the trick for me.

I'd ditch the case if you want to leave the razor in the bathroom. Try a mug, which I know a lot of people here use, or a tooth brush holder with openings wide enough for your razors. Not one of the closed holders though for obvious reasons.

If you're using the blade often I don't think you need to oil it every shave though doing so definitely won't hurt it. I really only oil the blades that aren't in my standard rotation. Or if I go on a stropping binge, then I strop and oil them all.

Either way I'm sure you'll find what works for you.

Another way:
I dry by wiping, then lightly stropping on a soft towel. Then strop 2 to 5 laps on leather to make sure the edge was dried. Then Ballistol, Mineral, or Camellia oil applied with a cotton ball or small cosmetic pad.

The problem is the wood. It's untreated, unfinished and very porous. The rust is concentrated around the surfaces where the blade contacts the scales. It may also be that the wood's chemistry is contributing, many conifers (including juniper) have acidic wood.

If any of you are wondering how I can make these I assumptions, the razor in question is sitting on the desk next to me. I'm fixing a few issues with it.

This should serve as a lesson to all you scale makers. ALWAYS seal wood scales in some way, at the very least on the inside surfaces of the scales.