A Few Questions from a Novice

[Mouette]

Howdy

I am currently at shave number 6 on my straight razor journey and have a few questions.

• How do people clean the lather etc off their blade whilst shaving? Dip in water? Running water from the tap? Wipe off onto a towel to avoid getting the blade wet. Water seems to be the enemy of a straight, so basically, do you get it wet?
• Storing the blade away after shaving - what's the best thing to coat your blade with to protect it after shaving and cleaning the blade. Is Lanotec any good? It's a lanolin based lubricant/water repellent similar to WD40, only way, way better. I use it a lot on my boat.

cheers
Andrew

 

[rbscebu]

While shaving, I rinse my SR blade in water to remove the lather. Some wipe it off with a towel or tissue but my thinking is this could affect the edge. Others rinse under running water, however I think that is wasteful of water resources (Australian thinking).

When finished shaving, I wipe my blade clean and dry with a piece of chamois. This is very absorbent and soft on the blade's edge. Others use tissue paper or just a towel. Once dry, you can protect the blade and its edge from corrosion with just a light coating of (sewing) machine oil applied with your fingers.

Before stropping, don't forget to wipe any protective oil off your blade. Getting oil on the strop will not harm the strop but it will increase the strop's draw.

 

[ajduplessis]

I use mineral oil to coat lade for storage. Water is only the enemy if its left on the blade...

 

[Zig the Pirate]

1. I rinse under running water.
2. I wipe the blade and handle dry with a towel. Then a thin coating of Tuff Glide on the blade and pivot, then wipe off. Then another thin layer of Tuff Glide on the blade. Set it aside until the next shave.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

I rinse under running water during the shave.

After the shave I wipe it dry gently with a hand towel. Then I do 15 laps on linen. Then I do about 30 laps on leather.

If I will be using it within 2 - 3 weeks I put it in the rack "as is".
If I'm putting it into "storage" I coat the blade, shank, and tang with a light coating of mineral oil.

I live in warm, dry Southern California.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Everyone has their own method. What works for me, concerning your questions, is as follows.

I shave every 72 hrs., so for the first WTG pass, I remove the stubble by gently wiping the blade with three layers of toilet paper. That's to keep from clogging the sink with stubble. For the following XTG/ATG pass, I rinse the blade with running hot water from the faucet. Same goes for touch-ups at the end.

After shaving, I rinse the blade off completely with hot water, then gently wipe the blade with a bar towel. Then I leave it opened to dry on its spine on another bar towel for around 1-1/2 hrs. to let it air dry. Once it is dry, I briefly dip the blade in a solution of 1 pt. USP mineral oil to 4 pts. ethyl (grain) alcohol that has been recently agitated, while at the same time avoiding contact of the solution with the scales. Then the blade is left out on its spine as before, followed by it being folded up for the next shaving session, or put away for several months. One reason I do this is that the alcohol acts as a solvent, dissolving any lingering soap scum.

 

[Old Grump]

I rinse under running tap water whenever the lather piles up on the blade, which is fairly often. My razors get soaked anyway when I finish them on a coticule under running water. After either honing/refreshing the edge or shaving, I dry the razor and scales with a towel, then dry them again, carefully, everywhere with folded-over toilet paper. Yes, I still have toilet paper, even now. Make sure you dry inside the scales, water gets in there, too.

Then I strop on linen, which further cleans the blade, as well as tidying up the edge, and then I strop on leather.

Lastly, I spread a small amount of baby oil (plain mineral oil or vaseline are fine as well, just don't use so much that it runs down the tang and into the pivot) on the blade ONLY, not the tang, because I don't want it getting into the pivot and making the pivot loose. (You can tighten a loose pivot with two tablespoons, but attempting to tighten a pivot with oil in it can lead to a bent pivot pin. The oil can make it just too hard to tighten.) I only use the baby oil because I live in a humid partially-reclaimed swamp. Lanotec sounds like a high-tech way to accomplish the same thing. I've heard that in less-humid climates, the oil is unnecessary.

Happy shaves.

 

[StillShaving]

Instead of rising the blade during the shave, my preferred method is to sit a wet sponge near the lip of the sink in and use it wipe off spent lather. That avoids most of the danger of getting the handle/pivot wet or dinging the blade on the faucet. Can rotate the sponge, flip it, or rinse it off if it gets too filled during your shave. I sometimes use a washcloth in the same way. Though this does create another thing to clean up.

 

[Njguy1977]

I rinse under hot water while shaving....dry the blade and in between the scales with toilet paper or a tissue, then put them back in my case. I have a few silica gel desiccant packs in my 12 blade case that keeps my blades nice and dry and rust free.

Larry

 

[jj_sharp]

1. A coffee cup of water soaks my brush.
2. A tub is placed in the sink and filled with water (because my sink's stopper system was mis-installed and is useless).
3. Shave, and rinse the blade with the water from the cup. Refile the cup with water from the tub as needed.
4. After shaving, wipe the water off with a small towel (bath towel?).
5. Strop (currently trying 50 laps) on leather.
6. Strop and put the razor in my bedroom on a counter surface (away from the bathroom).

Note - I am in Florida, and the Air Conditioner runs most of the year keeping the humidity down inside the house.

I reserve the right to change my processes without notice in the future.
Jody

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I rinse under running water (hot).

Afterwards, after rinsing again, I have a pattern.

• I dry the blade with toilet paper, avoiding the edge of the edge.
• I dry inside the scales, too.
• I strop on line - 6 round trips.
• Then leather - 6 round trips.
• Then linen - 6 round trips.
• Then leather again - 12 to 20 round trips.

I strop again right before each shave - 50 round trips on leather and a few on linen.

I use zero coating (no oil or anything) on the blade.



I store in these sleeves and these cases (both from Jarrod at Superior Shave). Oil on the blade is a big no-no with these. Some razors are in the sleeves and some in the roll up case.

I've never gotten any rust.

Don't store the razors in the shave den. Just a few feet away from the bathroom will be a lot drier and better.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[bluesman 7]

Wet wash cloth on counter.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've also used a big sponge.

These sponges are called and sold as grout sponges. Sold at Lowe's and Home Depot for about $3 or $4. Ask 'em where grout is and you'll find the sponges.

I like running water better myself.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Eveningcoffee]

1. lather is wiped off with dry cotton towel during shave. Blade is rinsed after shave then wiped with towel and stropped on leather. Set down to air dry.
2. Storage in cloth roll bag with other razors away from bathroom, usually a sock drawer. No oil.

 

[lloydw]

i use a sponge during the shave - try to save water. I found that some of the soap collecting on the blade, being sticky, needed a wipe anyway, not just a water rinse. I ended up migrating fully to the sponge.
I just battle with the kids taking them and using them in the bath!

 

[steveclarkus]

Howdy

I am currently at shave number 6 on my straight razor journey and have a few questions.

• How do people clean the lather etc off their blade whilst shaving? Dip in water? Running water from the tap? Wipe off onto a towel to avoid getting the blade wet. Water seems to be the enemy of a straight, so basically, do you get it wet?
• Storing the blade away after shaving - what's the best thing to coat your blade with to protect it after shaving and cleaning the blade. Is Lanotec any good? It's a lanolin based lubricant/water repellent similar to WD40, only way, way better. I use it a lot on my boat.

cheers
Andrew

My suggestion is to use a damp sponge to wipe lather off the blade while you shave rather than running water. This lessens the chance of accidentally hitting the razor on the faucet or sink. Razors are like glass and they can very chip or break when in contact the wrong material. After shaving, wipe the blade on a dry washcloth or towel to dry the blade then five or so strops to insure the edge is completely dry. The shaving edge is very fine and can rust very quickly. Leave the blade open for a couple of hours before putting it away.

 

[radrick96]

As a newb, are you supposed to oil the blade after each use? Is there a general minimum to oil it?

 

[ajduplessis]

@radrick96 I”m in a warm,dry climate with low humidity and only oil blades for long term storage (6months plus). All razors in rotation are free of any oils and have been for the past 2 years with no issues.

Others in humid coastal areas oil daily.
I use mineral oil used for sewing machines such as Singer.

If you are unsure I always recommend experimentation by checking your razors daily, if rust start to form, clean and change your routine.

Humidity in the air and water particle on the blade add scales cause rust, nothing else. If you can control these you should be fine.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

As a newb, are you supposed to oil the blade after each use? Is there a general minimum to oil it?

I answered this relative to my situation earlier in this thread.

Be careful with oil. Realize it seals in moisture so only use oil if you know the blade is truly dry.

As I mentioned earlier I use silicon impregnated razor rolls and sleeves without oil. I live in a very humid area. I never get any rust. I never use any oil.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't use oil, but as a newbie, you need to understand there are many ways to do things, and many ways to do things wrong.

How many straights do you have?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[radrick96]

I answered this relative to my situation earlier in this thread.

Be careful with oil. Realize it seals in moisture so only use oil if you know the blade is truly dry.

As I mentioned earlier I use silicon impregnated razor rolls and sleeves without oil. I live in a very humid area. I never get any rust. I never use any oil.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't use oil, but as a newbie, you need to understand there are many ways to do things, and many ways to do things wrong.

How many straights do you have?

Happy shaves,

Jim

I figured that earlier message was my answer but wanted to be certain. Thank you. I currently have 8 straights. One is shave ready and I’m eager to start but wanted to know if the oil was necessary after each shave. I want to protect the razors as much as possible.