Cleaning the Etching on my Dovo Straight Razor Blade

[Rob King]

Hello,

I just purchased my first straight razor (a new 5/8" Full Hollow, Round Tip Dovo razor). I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist, and wanted the blade to really shine. Upon receiving the razor in the mail, I noticed some water stains on the blade and wanted to remove them. In the process of cleaning them off, I somehow got dirt on the "Best Quality" blade etching. I attempted to gently scrub the dirt off with soap and water on a Q-tip, but have had no luck.

Any suggestions about how I can remove the dirt without damaging the etching? I appreciate the help. Thank you.

 

[Wid]

Dirt? Soap and water.

 

[life2short1971]

A gentle cleaning with the same Maas or Flitz will clean it but be sparing.

 

[mdunn]

And be very careful on that etching... It's super thin and will polish off if you're too enthusiastic

 

[Rob King]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have Maas polish, but have never used it out of concern that I might accidentally remove some of the etching (I had used some toothpaste and a Q-tip to eliminate the water spots on the razor). In light of the responses to my post, I plan on conservatively applying some Maas, rubbing gently, and then seeing what happens.

 

[shakin_jake]

might seem like a PITA but if you wipe the shave lather and whiskar detritus from the blade after every pass, followed by a damp wipe down then a dry wiipe down...after every time you clean the lather, etc. from the blade, it wont water spot on ya

when I 1st got into straights, I left the blade dangle under water when I re-lathered for the next pass, rinsed the blade in the sink water...I had nothing but water spots on all of my straight razors, then I was faced with cleaning them like you are right now

Eventually I stopped dangling the blade in the sink water, and wiped the lather from the blade, then damp wiped it, following with a dry towel. Guess what? No more water spots

Some guys here leave a damp sponge sink side to wipe the blade (to remove lather, whiskars). Since I use a hand towel for barber towel duties http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/9745-How-to-Pre-Shave-Prep?highlight=kyle's+method and it's damp and wrung out after I wipe the lather from my face, I fold this towel leaving it sink side to wipe my blade on...I'll wipe the lather off on this towel, then wipe the blade with my damp wash cloth that is hanging on a towel rack nearby, then I dry the blade with a dry hand towel...I do this for every pass, and it sounds like it takes more time than it does actually...again, I have no more water spots to deal with using this routine


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.

 

[life2short1971]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have Maas polish, but have never used it out of concern that I might accidentally remove some of the etching (I had used some toothpaste and a Q-tip to eliminate the water spots on the razor). In light of the responses to my post, I plan on conservatively applying some Maas, rubbing gently, and then seeing what happens.

when I polish a blade with gold wash or light etching I am careful to stay away from the etching while doing the hrunt work and then come back with a Q-tip with a dab of polish and feather in my polishing up to the goldwash so ot does not look recently polished but has more of a new look. If dirty polish gets on clean etching i then use a fresh Q-tip with a very small dab of polish and just give a xouple light strokes then wipe with a clean rag until satisfied wthe area is clean.

 

[Rob King]

Thank you Jake and Scott for your input. Jake, I put into use your suggestion regarding using the towels to clean my razor while shaving. It seems to work really well! Scott, I appreciate the detailed response you outlined about applying polish to the razor; I plan on incorporating your advice later today when I polish my razor and attempt to clean the etching. Thanks again to you both!