Thread: Blade Maintenance?????????????

How often, if at all do Straight Razors need to be oiled, or cleaned beyond the water cleaning they get with each shave?

dray,
Many people have different routines, different types of blades. I oil after every use.
Spend some time using the Advanced search function in the forum and you will get a better idea of the different routines people use, there is a lot of useful information to be found.

Don't forget drying well is is crucial also.

I believe I do dry them well, I wipe them off well after running them under hot water, then leave them out and open for hours at a time before closing them and putting them away - Also I live at 9000 ft, very dry here - the air just pulls moisture out of everything - so that probably helps as well

I am from Colorado Springs. We have the luxury of not having to worry about moisture. Towel dry and put away. .

Thanks Winchase - the absence of any moisture in the air may be a hardship for some things - but my razors should be fine :-)

From what I understand oiling the razor is only necessary when you aren't going to be using the razor for more then a few days. This is assuming that the razor is dried properly and stored someplace without a lot of moisture present.
I have a rotation of 7 razors, so I oil my razors after each use and probably would even if I only had one just to be on the safe side.

Everyone has their own methods. If you do not want to oil them, then Superior Shave has some straight razor sleeves that wisk away water. i have been using them for about 3 weeks, now, and they seem to be working magnificently.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

I am from Colorado Springs. We have the luxury of not having to worry about moisture. Towel dry and put away. .

That's pretty much my routine also, but in Denver. Just make sure you don't get the scales wet. If you do, make sure they are VERY dry before you close the razor.

There was recently a post from someone who was using alcohol to get his blades _really_ clean and _really_ dry.

His problem was that they were rusting, fast, with that treatment.

So the standard "wipe it off and strop it" or "rinse it, then wipe it off and strop it" seems good enough. I oil my blades after use, with about a 2-week rotation. No rust, after a year.

. . Charles