Has anyone had this issue?

[Hyloworks]

I just cleaned, sharpened, and honed this razor a few days ago and then oiled it down for storage before its first use. I pull it out today and this is what I see. Has anyone had the issue of oil leaching into the scales before? I have never seen this happen and I have about 12 other straights.

 

[ajduplessis]

What oil did you use?

 

[Hyloworks]

Camellia oil. The same stuff I have been using on all of my razors for years.

 

[Jim99]

Are the scales plastic? Celluloid?

 

[SliceOfLife]

Camellia oil stains freaking everything and dries/gums up VERY quickly. I still use it on my knives, just because I've got so damn much of it, but I've switched to mineral oil for all my razors.

As for soaking... not impossible, but I'd suspect more likely it just migrated on the surface. Get some 2000grit sandpaper or toothpaste and polish them a touch, see if it goes down in at all.

 

[Hyloworks]

Are the scales plastic? Celluloid?

I think they're plastic, but I am unsure.

 

[Hyloworks]

Camellia oil stains freaking everything and dries/gums up VERY quickly. I still use it on my knives, just because I've got so damn much of it, but I've switched to mineral oil for all my razors.

As for soaking... not impossible, but I'd suspect more likely it just migrated on the surface. Get some 2000grit sandpaper or toothpaste and polish them a touch, see if it goes down in at all.

I have used Cameilla oil for razors and woodworking tools and have never ran into the drying up, staining, or gumming issues that you speak of. I will keep an eye out though. Also the blade was oiled and the oil is deep into the scale for sure, you can even see in the picture how deep it got in there by the color changes in the concentration of oil. I tried to get it off and the surface even with light sanding is completely dry.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Strange, maybe the jug I bought isn't refined enough or something . I've had it gum up razors to where I can barely open them from the scales

 

[Toro Blanco]

Yes Sir! The Camelia oil has to be distilled! That way it is pure and will not gum up or dry out sticky. The camelia oil you are using is for hair and skin which has lippids and waxes in it that is good for the hair and skin but gets gummy and sticky on steel. Hope this helps.

 

[Hyloworks]

Strange, maybe the jug I bought isn't refined enough or something . I've had it gum up razors to where I can barely open them from the scales

Hmmmm, yeah maybe there is a difference in the one you use. I have never had an issue where it prevented the free motion of my tools or razors.

 

[Hyloworks]

Yes Sir! The Camelia oil has to be distilled! That way it is pure and will not gum up or dry out sticky. The camelia oil you are using is for hair and skin which has lippids and waxes in it that is good for the hair and skin but gets gummy and sticky on steel. Hope this helps.

What he said hahaha. That sounds right to me. This is why I love B&B. The cameilla oil I buy is direct from custom woodworking sites, and is a bit expensive. I don't mind though because with the amount I have invested in handtool woodworking here in Florida, proper rust protection is worth it.

 

[Ice-Man]

The best protection I have found to date is a product called Frog lube, and it is safe

 

[SliceOfLife]

I don't know, next thing you know the frog who lives next door is dropping by to ask to borrow it, and you're learning way too much about what he and his wife are up to over there.



Ahh, yeah my stuff is probably undistilled. That explains a lot. I bought the cheapest bulk stuff I could find, didn't know it needed to be distilled.

 

[Ice-Man]

I don't know, next thing you know the frog who lives next door is dropping by to ask to borrow it, and you're learning way too much about what he and his wife are up to over there.

I would make them suffer and not let them know I had it.....

 

[Gamma]

Camelia oil will gunk up over time, even the refined stuff. Same for Jojoba. If someone is having success with it, that's good news but it's known to gum up. Maybe there's a solvent in it or something.
A lot of the 'anti-rust' Camelia oil sold for tools and what have you is actually mostly mineral oil - one brand I recall comes in a pump bottle illustrated with swords and a lot of Kanji.

 

[Hyloworks]

I wonder how long it would take to gunk up on a razor. I have been using it for about 12 years with no issues. In my rotation of straights it does get wiped off every 2-3 weeks or so. As far as woodworking hand tools, there isn't much to gunk up on a chisel or a plane iron. For long term storage or woodworking tools I use a special wax, and for cast iron table surfaces I use T9.

 

[Namkcakram]

Camelia oil will gunk up over time, even the refined stuff. Same for Jojoba. If someone is having success with it, that's good news but it's known to gum up. Maybe there's a solvent in it or something.
A lot of the 'anti-rust' Camelia oil sold for tools and what have you is actually mostly mineral oil - one brand I recall comes in a pump bottle illustrated with swords and a lot of Kanji.

^^^ this. The stuff from most woodworking suppliers is light mineral oil with some good smells added. That works fantastic. “Real” camellia oil actually goes rancid on a long enough timeline.

 

[Hyloworks]

Well whatever it is it works fantastic. However does anyone have any information or insight on the OP?

 

[Steve56]

Why not get a bottle of silicone oil from Amazon, the stuff that the ‘razor socks’ are permeated with?

Caution: silicones should be avoided around shops where/if you paint, it will cause ‘fisheyes’ and can be difficult to get under control.

 

[Afoshie]

Watch out for silicones in a can. Used 3m for a while. Last can i bought melted a set of celluloid scaled on a dubl duck. Tested on another set of junk scales did the same thing.