Razor Care

[Tony Forsyth]

Just a quick question regarding correct razor care. After each shave and razor clean is it ok to leave the bade in the razor for the next shave with the handle tightened? or should the blade be 1. removed after each shave? 2. Handle loosened to remove tension on the blade?

 

[alfredus]

Since you have a Stainless razor - some of the blades rust and that rust causes so called "tea stains" on stainless.

You can polish those out pretty easily, but what I do is, just turn open the handle one turn or so after the use.

That way, the blade dries quicker and there is less contact with the razor...just don't forget to tighten back before your next shave

 

[nsavage]

@alfredus is spot on with those comments. I rotate my razors and generally use one (sometimes two) for a week at a time or so. At the end of the week I give them a quick soak in some warm water and baby shampoo. A quick scrub with a soft toothbrush and then a good rinse and allow them to dry. I then give them a polish with a microfiber cloth and put a dab of mineral oil on the screw thread before putting back in to storage. Possibly a fair amount of overkill here but it keeps me happy and keeps the razors in top condition.

 

[thisISjoel]

People do all kids of things, some guys like to swish the razor around in some isopropyl to displace the water, some guys like the take everything apart and clean and dry it and leave the blade out, some guys clean and dry and put the blade back in (this is what I tend to do, or just rinse and leave on the bench, if I'm going to be shaving again in the next day or two).

I don't think there's any harm in leaving a clean, dry blade in the razor, but obviously drying the blade needs to be done with care so as to not a) damage the edge and b) cut yourself. I just drop the blade onto a piece of tissue or toilet paper and flip it over to dry, avoiding touching the edge).

 

[Mark1966]

Just a quick question regarding correct razor care.

There is no such thing as 'correct' care IMHO - simply what you want to do (within reason)

After each shave and razor clean is it ok to leave the bade in the razor for the next shave with the handle tightened?

Yes

or should the blade be 1. removed after each shave?

No need, unless you want a sharp object lying around to cut yourself with.

2. Handle loosened to remove tension on the blade?

Why? The blade will cope with the tension - these are MAN blades after all - not those sookie cartridge things!

In all seriousness there is wisdom in the comments from @alfredus, @nsavage and @thisISjoel BUT ...

I've also got and have cleaned up many razors which are up to 113 years old. I've seen them in all sorts of condition and they almost invariably clean up pretty well. The only things that really cause damage are drops and plate loss. Personally, I think I would be more likely to damage a razor by dropping it when I'm trying to clean it than by just rinsing off excess lather and leaving it to dry with blade in place on the vanity - but that might just be me being a klutz.

If you are more dexterous than I am - go for it, clear to your hearts content after each shave to whatever standard you want. I'd suggest though that the result might be that it looks like after 250 years rather than starting to deteriorate after 200 years!

None of the above applies to Zamak razors which I classify as expensive disposables. Show me one of those after 100 years

(cantankerous old bloke today aren't I)

 

[alfredus]

There is no such thing as 'correct' care IMHO - simply what you want to do (within reason)



Yes



No need, unless you want a sharp object lying around to cut yourself with.



Why? The blade will cope with the tension - these are MAN blades after all - not those sookie cartridge things!

In all seriousness there is wisdom in the comments from @alfredus, @nsavage and @thisISjoel BUT ...

I've also got and have cleaned up many razors which are up to 113 years old. I've seen them in all sorts of condition and they almost invariably clean up pretty well. The only things that really cause damage are drops and plate loss. Personally, I think I would be more likely to damage a razor by dropping it when I'm trying to clean it than by just rinsing off excess lather and leaving it to dry with blade in place on the vanity - but that might just be me being a klutz.

If you are more dexterous than I am - go for it, clear to your hearts content after each shave to whatever standard you want. I'd suggest though that the result might be that it looks like after 250 years rather than starting to deteriorate after 200 years!

None of the above applies to Zamak razors which I classify as expensive disposables. Show me one of those after 100 years

(cantankerous old bloke today aren't I)

Put a Vsokhod in your Weber, shave and leave tight in there for a couple of days - report back with your observations

It depends on the materials used - but trust me when I say some blades will cause "tea stains" in ALL stainless steel razors. With my polished razors I really don't care, as I polish them from time to time with metal polish anyway...

But satin ones (Weber, Rockwell) might be problematic, because you don't want to polish them. With the Weber I have only observed "tea stains" on the 2 polished guards on the baseplate so far...but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

@TomG any thoughts?

 

[TomG]

Put a Vsokhod in your Weber, shave and leave tight in there for a couple of days - report back with your observations

It depends on the materials used - but trust me when I say some blades will cause "tea stains" in ALL stainless steel razors. With my polished razors I really don't care, as I polish them from time to time with metal polish anyway...

But satin ones (Weber, Rockwell) might be problematic, because you don't want to polish them. With the Weber I have only observed "tea stains" on the 2 polished guards on the baseplate so far...but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

@TomG any thoughts?

It is a common misconception that stainless steel will not corrode. The clue is in the name - stain less. In other words, less corrosion stains than mild steel.
There are >100 variants of stainless steel. The metallurgy is tweaked for the application. The key alloying metal is chromium at a minimum of 10%. The chromium forms a passive surface layer that inhibits corrosion. A number of other metals are used to provide complementary properties e.g. nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese.
The carbon content is also important.
The most common stainless steel alloy is 304, also known as 18/8 for its chromium and nickel content. Also very common is 316, which is used in the food and medical industries, and also marine applications due to its superior resistance to saline corrosion. Note that I say resistance. If you observe 316 fittings on yachts, you will often see spot corrosion.
Important to maintaining stainless steel is to periodically clean the surface, as the passivating layer is self-healing.
Now - to the tea stains. Without having specific information on the composition of the razor and blade, my initial thoughts are:
Possibly localized direct corrosion due to sustained contact between water and the blade/razor surfaces; or
Possible minor galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar nature of the blade/razor, facilitated by their common contact in a trapped moisture layer.

 

[Tony Forsyth]

It is a common misconception that stainless steel will not corrode. The clue is in the name - stain less. In other words, less corrosion stains than mild steel.
There are >100 variants of stainless steel. The metallurgy is tweaked for the application. The key alloying metal is chromium at a minimum of 10%. The chromium forms a passive surface layer that inhibits corrosion. A number of other metals are used to provide complementary properties e.g. nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese.
The carbon content is also important.
The most common stainless steel alloy is 304, also known as 18/8 for its chromium and nickel content. Also very common is 316, which is used in the food and medical industries, and also marine applications due to its superior resistance to saline corrosion. Note that I say resistance. If you observe 316 fittings on yachts, you will often see spot corrosion.
Important to maintaining stainless steel is to periodically clean the surface, as the passivating layer is self-healing.
Now - to the tea stains. Without having specific information on the composition of the razor and blade, my initial thoughts are:
Possibly localized direct corrosion due to sustained contact between water and the blade/razor surfaces; or
Possible minor galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar nature of the blade/razor, facilitated by their common contact in a trapped moisture layer.

Wow !!! Thanks @TomG

 

[alfredus]

Ah and of course your water hardness/mineral content/composition plays a major role...the electrolyte, that is needed for corrosion - correct @TomG??? I really need to turn my brain on more often...

 

[TomG]

Ah and of course your water hardness/mineral content/composition plays a major role...the electrolyte, that is needed for corrosion - correct @TomG??? I really need to turn my brain on more often...

Correct, @alfredus.
However, corrosion will occur in pure distilled water in these examples. Any increased ionic strength will typically accelerate kinetics, and if anions such as chloride are present is significant concentrations, they will independently initiate corrosion reactions.