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Marks/Spots on razors - Metal expert needed!

Hello,

I have been looking at some of my razors after some cleaning. Hopefully someone with knowledge about metals and how they are reacting with air/water can help me out.

This is a razor with nickel plating with very obvious plate loss so the 'Brass' is exposed which makes good sense:

IMG_0632.jpg

This is a razor with rhodium plating, but what are those small round circles a sign of?

IMG_0630.jpg

Is it water or air that have reacted with the metal over the years? Cleaning and polishing don't do much about it 🧐
 
Hello,

I have been looking at some of my razors after some cleaning. Hopefully someone with knowledge about metals and how they are reacting with air/water can help me out.

This is a razor with nickel plating with very obvious plate loss so the 'Brass' is exposed which makes good sense:

View attachment 1296996

This is a razor with rhodium plating, but what are those small round circles a sign of?

View attachment 1296995

Is it water or air that have reacted with the metal over the years? Cleaning and polishing don't do much about it 🧐
Good news!

I was able to remove the little circles from all the cleaned razors. After I cleaned and polished the razors they were dried with a blowdryer. Apparently I used too much heat so the little dots is actually "burnt" water deposits. The weird thing is that I couldn't remove them with a buffing cloth, but If I took my thumb and rubbed on the razors really hard they disappeared with time.

The blowdryer is of course great for drying the razors fast, but too much heat seems suboptimal 🧐


Ohh well, you learn every day 😅
 
With my cleaned and polished razors I occasionally just rinse under warm water and do a gentle tooth brush scrubing.
Then shake, blot, shake, blot better, and put away.
 
Regardless of drying method, "water spots" on polished surfaces are often the result of hard water droplets containing minerals drying on the surface (mainly Ca and Mg) if the razor isn't dried thoroughly immediately after use by wiping down (a blow dryer really doesn't remove them - it just dries them in place). That's the reason you don't just let your car air-dry after a wash. Not as prominent or noticeable on a matte finish, and usually removable with a light touch and a good metal polish, but can be permanent with prolonged exposure.
 
Regardless of drying method, "water spots" on polished surfaces are often the result of hard water droplets containing minerals drying on the surface (mainly Ca and Mg) if the razor isn't dried thoroughly immediately after use by wiping down (a blow dryer really doesn't remove them - it just dries them in place). That's the reason you don't just let your car air-dry after a wash. Not as prominent or noticeable on a matte finish, and usually removable with a light touch and a good metal polish, but can be permanent with prolonged exposure.

+1! Great explanation! It is best to wipe razors (or cars) with a soft cloth after cleaning. :thumbup1: :thumbup1:
 
With my cleaned and polished razors I occasionally just rinse under warm water and do a gentle tooth brush scrubing.
Then shake, blot, shake, blot better, and put away.

I have also done that many times, but I find it useful to really blow the water out of the inside when you have had it soaked in water/soap after eg. polishing.

Regardless of drying method, "water spots" on polished surfaces are often the result of hard water droplets containing minerals drying on the surface (mainly Ca and Mg) if the razor isn't dried thoroughly immediately after use by wiping down (a blow dryer really doesn't remove them - it just dries them in place). That's the reason you don't just let your car air-dry after a wash. Not as prominent or noticeable on a matte finish, and usually removable with a light touch and a good metal polish, but can be permanent with prolonged exposure.

Thanks for the explanation 👍🏼 Actually I have experienced that many times on my black car:

IMG_7571 2.jpgIMG_2946 2.jpg

White spots are a pain in the a.. after a car wash on a sunny day. I spend 5 minutes with a soft cloth every time 😅

I think I just blocked that possibility out in regards to the razors since those spots were darker and kind of brown 🧐

+1! Great explanation! It is best to wipe razors (or cars) with a soft cloth after cleaning. :thumbup1: :thumbup1:

Yep, in the future I will dry them a bit better before blowdrying and not use that kind of heat 👌
 
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