How do you organize your straight razors

[smorgana]

Being a beginner, I only have 2 straight razors with a third coming tomorrow. I imagine I'll acquire more and use them in rotation, but my question is, how do you organize them?

Right now I have an elliptical soap dish that seems perfect for holding 1 or 2 razors, but as I get more, are the racks or something to hold multiple razors?

Do I just keep them in a drawer? Medicine cabinet?

 

[ERS4]

Some pens or cigar storage things are great for straight razors.

It is also convenient to zigzag the cardboard into many parallel long strips.

 

[rbscebu]

Windrose case(s) on Etsy. Get more than one, you'll need them .

​

 

[pwheeler]

A fountain pen display box works well. Already has dividers and I have straights up to 7/8 in it.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

Lots of options but remember that whatever you decide to get, to get enough room for 3 times what you think as they grow...

 

[Eastcoast30]

The key is rust prevention. Do not store in bathrooms or humid areas. Make sure they are totally dry before storing. Use VCI paper, silica packs or silicone sleeves. There are quite a few threads here on rust prevention.

 

[Tomo]

Here are a few ideas.

I keep my razors in a little desk top unit with my hones. The razors fit in one of the drawers. I got a few closed foam, toe separators from the pharmacy to hold them upright. I oil the razors with Ballistol and have added a SensorPush hygrometer to monitor the humidity levels. The toe separators work amazingly well. I like that there is nothing in contact with the steel that could wick away oil.

I also keep a seven day set of Cadman Bengalls at my holiday house. I store these in a Thiers Issard razor box. Again the razors are oiled with Ballistol. I’m not convinced that oil is required with the humidity levels here but I feel better knowing that it’s there. It’s not much hassle to add a drop of oil after a shave and it’s not going to do any harm.

 

[Yodascaretaker]

I’ve just been keeping them in their boxes in a nice wooden storage box, but I just won an auction for this thing. I plan on cleaning it up and keeping some in it.

It’s an old Dubl Duck traveling salesman inventory box.

 

[Kyle89]

I just keep out my 2 T.I.s on the dresser. The GD stays in its sleeve for the occasion that I use it here and there, and the Aust stays in the box (sorry Ralf).

Easy peasy.

With that setup I should be good for at least a few hundred years.

 

[Seelector]

Geez I need to level up my storage. I’ve just got mine sitting in a drawer. Good blades are set at the front and junk in a pile at the back.

The drawer is in the laundry room where we have a dehumidifier running 24/7, so I’m not too worried about rust.

 

[CpnStumpy]

I have the exact same fountain pen case someone else posted here, it's awesome, before that I had an acrylic test tube holder for 6.

A lot is said about humidity and I'm trying to solve for that with a silicate packet in each drawer of my case.

Keep in mind, sealing a razor into something creates a moisture trap, I used a nice leather case years back for a razor before realizing that. Mineral oil is an easy protective coating and it's completely effective at protection against rust. I'm hoping the silicate packets (cheap on Amazon and large) will do the same job. Silicate packets are used in shipping commercial products so much, I figure it's effective otherwise businesses wouldn't all be doing it

 

[Tomo]

I have the exact same fountain pen case someone else posted here, it's awesome, before that I had an acrylic test tube holder for 6.

A lot is said about humidity and I'm trying to solve for that with a silicate packet in each drawer of my case.

Keep in mind, sealing a razor into something creates a moisture trap, I used a nice leather case years back for a razor before realizing that. Mineral oil is an easy protective coating and it's completely effective at protection against rust. I'm hoping the silicate packets (cheap on Amazon and large) will do the same job. Silicate packets are used in shipping commercial products so much, I figure it's effective otherwise businesses wouldn't all be doing it

I went that route myself for a while. It is totally effective but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Silca beads don’t absorb water indefinitely. They only absorb water until they stabilise with the surrounding atmosphere. If they are outside of a sealed container that will happen within a couple of hours. After that they are no longer useful. To use them correctly you must keep them together with your razors in a sealed container.

The volume of beads used is very important and must match the size of the container. More beads will be able to control a bigger space, control it faster and last longer before needing to be refreshed. The small packets you find with electrical components are designed for a single use in a sealed zip lock bag. Not much air volume in there.

Colour indicating beads are available. These show how much water has been absorded by the beads. Orange to green is non-toxic. Blue to pink contains cobalt (toxic).

Bulk beads are cheap and can be reused. Heating them in the oven dries them out. The colour indicating beads are good for something like 500 cycles.

By using silica beads you can create an extremely dry environment approaching 0% RH. This is not good for natural materials like wood, horn or ivory.

Boveda sells two way humidity packs that are pre-set to various humidities. They work by using saturated salt solution inside of a permeable pouch membrane. They are very accurate and can be used for calibrating hygrometers.

When humidity drops below the level of the silica beads or Boveda pack, they will give off moisture to their surrounding. Best practice is to not allow steel to directly touch the silica beads or packs as under these conditions they actually give off water.

This is a pretty fool proof, budget friendly, low tech solution. It is probably only required in extreme conditions.

 

[rbscebu]

To refresh silica needs, preheat oven to about 120°C to 140°C. Then "bake" your silica beards for about two hour at that temperature. I bake my silica needs satchels about once every two months.

 

[CpnStumpy]

I went that route myself for a while. It is totally effective but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Silca beads don’t absorb water indefinitely. They only absorb water until they stabilise with the surrounding atmosphere. If they are outside of a sealed container that will happen within a couple of hours. After that they are no longer useful. To use them correctly you must keep them together with your razors in a sealed container.

The volume of beads used is very important and must match the size of the container. More beads will be able to control a bigger space, control it faster and last longer before needing to be refreshed. The small packets you find with electrical components are designed for a single use in a sealed zip lock bag. Not much air volume in there.

Colour indicating beads are available. These show how much water has been absorded by the beads. Orange to green is non-toxic. Blue to pink contains cobalt (toxic).

Bulk beads are cheap and can be reused. Heating them in the oven dries them out. The colour indicating beads are good for something like 500 cycles.

By using silica beads you can create an extremely dry environment approaching 0% RH. This is not good for natural materials like wood, horn or ivory.

Boveda sells two way humidity packs that are pre-set to various humidities. They work by using saturated salt solution inside of a permeable pouch membrane. They are very accurate and can be used for calibrating hygrometers.

When humidity drops below the level of the silica beads or Boveda pack, they will give off moisture to their surrounding. Best practice is to not allow steel to directly touch the silica beads or packs as under these conditions they actually give off water.

This is a pretty fool proof, budget friendly, low tech solution. It is probably only required in extreme conditions.

Whoa! Thanks for all the details! This is awesomely helpful, and instructive that I guess I probably don't want to use the silica pouches.. I do have a good few vintage horn handles I'm fond of, and that aside the fountain pen case is definitely not much of a sealed container, so the beads have probably pulled in moisture from the surrounding room quite completely.. I'll need to rethink oil and ponder its impact on the fountain pen case. As well as ponder the necessity given my environment is high plains dry already

 

[rbscebu]

Lots of options but remember that whatever you decide to get, to get enough room for 3 times what you think as they grow...

That's where the Windrose case comes in handy. The case straps each SR down in its place. I had an inbreeding problem with my SRs when they could more easily mingle, particularly in dark places.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I live in colorado springs. Mostly dry and i only use a small silica pack in each drawer. My cabinet is made in the mid 1800s as it is put tgether with wooden nails, not iron. Ive never had an issue with rust or moisture. And i don't oil or wax my blades. After a shave i dry them by hand and let it sit out open for half a day before i put it back in the drawer

In my opinion some people go too far when it comes to trying to protect them. But then again, who wants rust? That is up to you and your area.

Once a year i take a look at each and every razor. Make note of any repairs or touch ups i may need to do. You have to learn and know your own. Now if i could get them to stop breeding. Lol.

 

[Eastcoast30]

I keep my razors wrapped in VCI paper. The longest that any of my razors has gone unused is two years in VCI paper, without a spot of rust.

 

[lloydw]

Lots of options but remember that whatever you decide to get, to get enough room for 3 times what you think as they grow...

View attachment 1538672View attachment 1538674View attachment 1538677

that big cabinet is awesome - lots of space there and the drawer sizing makes batches manageable.

I always liked the idea of the TI boxes but i couldnt get them where i was, similarly the pen cases were hard to find.
Cigar boxes and the toe spearators worked great for me

 

[lloydw]

I always like variety and looking for solutions and I found some lacquered boxes in hcmc - saigon - a few years back while living there. cheap boxes, easily found in the markets. I lined with felt and learnt how to use some 3d software and a friend printed me some inserts. They were made to fit into the boxes i had and work well for me. this was just before lockdowns and I (and he) have moved - i do wish I could do another revised set as i have a few adjustments to make them perfect. I have a couple boxes that hold 7 and a bigger one that holds about 35 razors over 2 layers (modular 3D printed pieces). these also allow for silica packets to be inserted. see pics below.

Not the most elegant or refined but i really enjoyed learning something new and trying it out

here is the bigger one - i made the trays in sets of 7 and with handles and legs so i could remove a tray (one quarter pretty much) at a time. The middle section has space for 3 attached to one of the sides.

Now - at a relatively temporary spot by the coast, I keep razors in a box in the closet with VCI packets holding 7-8 razors each. I take out 4-5 every now and again and put them to use while using the lacquered box. Even so, i have been caught with a few razors getting damaged, leaving them out too long or rushing and not cleaning up properly. kills your day very quickly when you get home and see this water damage because you rushed or got distracted!

 

[CpnStumpy]

I live in colorado springs. Mostly dry and i only use a small silica pack in each drawer. My cabinet is made in the mid 1800s as it is put tgether with wooden nails, not iron. Ive never had an issue with rust or moisture. And i don't oil or wax my blades. After a shave i dry them by hand and let it sit out open for half a day before i put it back in the drawer

In my opinion some people go too far when it comes to trying to protect them. But then again, who wants rust? That is up to you and your area.

Once a year i take a look at each and every razor. Make note of any repairs or touch ups i may need to do. You have to learn and know your own. Now if i could get them to stop breeding. Lol.

Denver here, I really don't think we need to worry over our climate, but the first rust spot I catch would have me kicking myself heh