It has been a struggle, but I have come to accept that I have a straight razor collection and I want to keep it. Originally, I thought I just was into honing these and that I'd find homes for them all after figuring out which I liked best. Turns out I enjoy the variety and they're cool objects. Came as a surprise, I'm a bit of a minimalist and had never felt inspired to collect anything before, woo, new type of fun.
So now I want to have a couple dozen razors stropped and ready to go but not worry if I don't use one for a few months. I'm in Toronto so we have quite humid summers. I have AC on for the worst of it and the furnace keeps it dry in the winter, but I also like to have the windows open in between. As a result, humidity varies as does temperature--though pretty limited to a comfortable range between 19-25C. My stash of future honing projects I currently keep sealed away with some silica packs and I use the microwave to dry those out after letting things breathe a bit when temperature drops as I have a vague sense about things like condensation and relative humidity.
But for my active rotation I oil all but the half dozen or so I'm most likely to use and those I keep out in the open so hopefully no moisture concentrates in their vicinity. I'd rather not have to hesitate to use an oiled one or worry about not having used a non-oiled one in a while. Silicone sleeves come up a fair bit here and sound like an appealing solution. They seem kind of fiddly though, I don't want to have tediously pull them in and out of little bags. So I'm contemplating slicing a gun sock lengthwise and clipping it onto a shelf so I can fold it over a couple dozen razors at once. That way I can still peruse my collection and, bonus, it keeps the dust off. But I have ...questions.
Will this actually work? Anyone doing something along these lines?
It seems to make sense, but is there something escaping me as to why resting between two flaps of the material will be less effective than being in a little baggie? Maybe someone has attempted this and can comment on its efficacy?
How does this work?
Somewhere I read that the sleeve wicks moisture away from the interior. Does that mean it's directional eg. if I turn this inside out will it concentrate moisture? What's the mechanism behind this, anyone have a source? Seems pretty impressive for how inexpensive the material is. Or is it a more modest situation where all that's really happening is the silicone blocks the fibres from retaining moisture so it better allows the protected item to stay at the current relative humidity? So then is it really even better than having them out in the open?
Is it going to mess with scales?
I see a few threads (1, 2, 3, 4) that indicate there is some oiliness that can transfer from the material to the razor. And that it darkens wood, changes bone translucent, etc. Those sound like what oil does to those materials, but maybe it's the silicone itself? Perhaps a little (open!) plastic sleeve around such porous materials will be a good compromise?
Will I eventually need to replace it or does it work indefinitely?
This thread speaks of recharging them. Is that just from it leeching into razors and whatever it's sitting on, or does it evaporate into the air as well? If I need to replace it every couple years, I'll probably put less effort into eg. finishing the edges of the fabric where I cut it.
Does it matter which one I get?
Are they all pretty much equivalent? Some said theirs were more dry and didn't transfer material to razors, which sounds like a plus unless that's means there is less silicone, the active ingredient, and not doing that is an indication it's already past its useful life? I'm considering this one as it comes in a variety of sizes and is available inexpensively in Canada:
So now I want to have a couple dozen razors stropped and ready to go but not worry if I don't use one for a few months. I'm in Toronto so we have quite humid summers. I have AC on for the worst of it and the furnace keeps it dry in the winter, but I also like to have the windows open in between. As a result, humidity varies as does temperature--though pretty limited to a comfortable range between 19-25C. My stash of future honing projects I currently keep sealed away with some silica packs and I use the microwave to dry those out after letting things breathe a bit when temperature drops as I have a vague sense about things like condensation and relative humidity.
But for my active rotation I oil all but the half dozen or so I'm most likely to use and those I keep out in the open so hopefully no moisture concentrates in their vicinity. I'd rather not have to hesitate to use an oiled one or worry about not having used a non-oiled one in a while. Silicone sleeves come up a fair bit here and sound like an appealing solution. They seem kind of fiddly though, I don't want to have tediously pull them in and out of little bags. So I'm contemplating slicing a gun sock lengthwise and clipping it onto a shelf so I can fold it over a couple dozen razors at once. That way I can still peruse my collection and, bonus, it keeps the dust off. But I have ...questions.
Will this actually work? Anyone doing something along these lines?
It seems to make sense, but is there something escaping me as to why resting between two flaps of the material will be less effective than being in a little baggie? Maybe someone has attempted this and can comment on its efficacy?
How does this work?
Somewhere I read that the sleeve wicks moisture away from the interior. Does that mean it's directional eg. if I turn this inside out will it concentrate moisture? What's the mechanism behind this, anyone have a source? Seems pretty impressive for how inexpensive the material is. Or is it a more modest situation where all that's really happening is the silicone blocks the fibres from retaining moisture so it better allows the protected item to stay at the current relative humidity? So then is it really even better than having them out in the open?
Is it going to mess with scales?
I see a few threads (1, 2, 3, 4) that indicate there is some oiliness that can transfer from the material to the razor. And that it darkens wood, changes bone translucent, etc. Those sound like what oil does to those materials, but maybe it's the silicone itself? Perhaps a little (open!) plastic sleeve around such porous materials will be a good compromise?
Will I eventually need to replace it or does it work indefinitely?
This thread speaks of recharging them. Is that just from it leeching into razors and whatever it's sitting on, or does it evaporate into the air as well? If I need to replace it every couple years, I'll probably put less effort into eg. finishing the edges of the fabric where I cut it.
Does it matter which one I get?
Are they all pretty much equivalent? Some said theirs were more dry and didn't transfer material to razors, which sounds like a plus unless that's means there is less silicone, the active ingredient, and not doing that is an indication it's already past its useful life? I'm considering this one as it comes in a variety of sizes and is available inexpensively in Canada:
Lockdown Silicone Gun Socks with Multiple Sizes, Breathable, Rust-Preventing, Moisture Wicking Material and Cinch Top for Damage Free Firearm Storage, Gun Holders - Amazon Canada
Lockdown Silicone Gun Socks with Multiple Sizes, Breathable, Rust-Preventing, Moisture Wicking Material and Cinch Top for Damage Free Firearm Storage in Gun Holders.
www.amazon.ca
