Thread: Straight Razor Rust

I've been shaving with a straight razor for a few days now. When preparing to shave for the second time I noticed my razor was giving more resistance when rotating it. I looked closely and saw rust around the pivot.

I'm not sure how to dry this part of the razor. I insert a folded tissue inside the scales and dry that out, but it still rusts on the pivot!

Any suggestions? And can I make the razor rotate smoothly again?

You could try a spray or a couple drops of WD-40 or a similar water displacing lubricant.

Joej I found I had that exact same problem, for now i just gave it a drop of sewingmachineoil and gave the SR a good workout (opening and closing repeatedly) with it and it helped a good deal. For a more permanent solution I've ordered some boeshield T-9, I'll let you know how that works.

Or just use some wd-40 as sugested above, that should work great too

order yourself some tuf glide from The Classic Edge Shaving Store Your Straight Razor Specialists. and add a couple drops to that area a couple times a month. you wont ever have that problem again. plus the stuff is great for protecting any metal and it doesnt wear off fast, it protects the metal for quite a long time

I was looking at a Lynn A. video not too long ago. And the best way to prevent rust is not to get the whole SR wet. Meaning wetting the scales. He said on the video to only wet the blade try to stay away from wetting the scales at all times. You can even wipe the blade on a towel and continue shaving after. Make sure to clean the blade and its scales when done after every shave. Also keep it in a case or wrap it around in a cloth if you keep the blade in a moistureize place. All that helped me and my blade has been pretty good.
Hope this helps..

Thanks you guys I'll try to lubricate it with something and avoid getting water in the scales.

Thanks again!

In many ways you guys are so lucky, stuff like tuff glide is nowhere to be found in my neck of the woods ( somethings rotten in the state of denmark )

yes, prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, keeping water away from certain areas of the razor is the way to go. if water does happen to be there anything that will draw the water out is what you want. A q tip or some thin gauze or some of that canned air for computers to blow the water out.

I try to never let any water get in the pivot area or between the scales. If I do, I dry it ASAP. I never close the razor being used without 1st being certain that all lather or water drops have been wiped off.

When I finish shaving, I rinse only the blade tilted down under running hot water, immediately wipe dry, and let the razor sit closed in a dry spot while I cleanup. After cleanup, I strop 30 linen and 60 leather and wipe my blade with a mineral or camellia oiled patch before storage. I also wipe between the scales.

A quick dip of the pivot in alcohol and a blast of canned air in the pivot can help if water may have gotten in the pivot. It is best to be certain that the razor is dry before applying the protective coatings.

Carbon steel blades are unforgiving and easily stain or rust. I always have a bit of worry with my carbon blades which I do not have with my Friodurs.
HTH

Originally Posted by joej326

I've been shaving with a straight razor for a few days now. When preparing to shave for the second time I noticed my razor was giving more resistance when rotating it. I looked closely and saw rust around the pivot.

I'm not sure how to dry this part of the razor. I insert a folded tissue inside the scales and dry that out, but it still rusts on the pivot!

Any suggestions? And can I make the razor rotate smoothly again?

Use some 'inox-mx3 FG' oil is food grade and you can buy it from most auto stores. I use it on my dovo,it had the same problem.