Multiple use of a blade in saltwater climates

[Don_Pisto]

For those who are able to get multiple shaves out of a single blade, is anyone doing anything special when you finish a shave? Such as drying your blades? Or just rinse and let them air out?

I have tried many times to get more than one use out of a blade, any blade, and never could and I finally found out what my problem is. I live next to the ocean and the salt air just rusts everything. It’s a constant battle with all metallic objects

Here is a photo taken today only 8 hours after finishing today‘s shave. You might be able to see some early signs of rust:

And this one here is from yesterday taken about 24 hours after just one use:

Do I need to blow dry my blades to stop the rust to get more than one use? I tried gentle towel drying and that was useless.

I never thought they would rust this fast. I keep my used blades in a ziplock bag just to be safe.

Is there anyone else who lives in a saltwater climate that is able to get more than one shave from a blade? What’s the secret?

 

[seattleshaver]

Wow. I live in Seattle. The volume of salt water is probably less than where you are but it's a salt water environment to a degree.

My blades last about a week. I could use them longer than that but I don't usually do so. Maybe it has to do with salt water and heat or relative humidity?

 

[Atlantic59]

You can keep a small jar of 90% isopropyl alcohol by the sink. Rinse off your blade and dip it in alcohol for a few seconds (use needle-nose pliers, etc.). Alcohol will displace the water and evaporate quickly. I hang my blade to dry on a magnet on the back of the medicine cabinet door.

If your case is extreme, you could store your blade in a small jar of mineral oil after it has been rinsed and dried.

 

[Teuse]

I have a small glass jar with a little rubbing alcohol under my sink. It's big enough to be closed with the razor inside (it was for Bolognese sauce).

Because the jar is closed the alcohol does not evaporate. So in your case: shave, dump the razor in the jar, close it. And before starting your pre-shave routine the next time, remove the razor from the jar to let it dry.
I don't think you need to remove the blade each time.

For a daily use I would recommend real 99% isopropyl alcohol instead of the weird gross mix of barrel's bottoms that rubbing alcohol is.

Edit to be clear: theoretically storing in alcohol causes more rust than in dry clean air, the alcohol absorbs a bit of water and oxygen. But it's clear that your air is not dry! Alcohol should be better.

 

[Scrape&Splash]

I lived on an island in the Pacific for a while and I heard of people using baby oil for that sort of thing. Just fill a glass with an inch or so of baby oil - shave - rinse the razor - shake it and/or blow the water out of it and set it business-end-down in the glass.

 

[BigJ]

Check out the Excalibur Club: tons of great suggestions to increase blade longevity!!

 

[Don_Pisto]

Some good suggestions. Thank you. I’ll try but I don’t expect to get a 100 uses out of a blade. I’ll be happy to experience what it’s like to see a blade improve with a few uses. To date, it hasn’t been a good experience. Ever. For any blade.

I’m in Baja California, México, and we have pretty mild weather. The climate rusts everything though, and fast.

And a quick edit for my original post. It’s the unused blades, brand new, that I keep in a ziplock bag, not the used ones. Some old unused blades, that were still in their sleeves, even started to show signs of early rust and I had to toss them.

 

[slybrewguy]

I live on the Eastern FL coast near Daytona Beach and only about 10 miles from the ocean. I've got salty air and 90% or higher humidity pretty much year round. Needless to say, I can relate.

At best, I never got more then 2-3 shaves from a blade and the 2nd-3rd shaves never felt all that comfortable. I started giving a quick splash of iso alcohol to the razor head and leaving it to air dry overnight, this still only bought a 2nd and occasionally 3rd use tops before I saw rust. Platinum, chrome, Teflon, etc coated blades seemed to last longer then stainless (any stainless blade I've used rusted by the next morning). I don't use blades all that often anymore as Electrics work wonders for me but I've settled on Astra SP as my blade of choice for a few reasons: they work in pretty much any razor, I can get 2 shaves for sure even without using iso alcohol to 'dry' the blade, and when I buy in bulk they only cost me $0.06-$0.10 per blade (or $0.03-$0.05 per shave) so I really don't mind tossing it after 1-2 uses.

Interesting part: my gillette guard cartridges and my wife's dorco (dsc) twin blade carts will last over a week before they rust. And she leaves her's in the shower 24/7. Also, I had a long stint with injectors and injector blades and found that the modern Chinese Schick and the personna injector blades would last over a week before they started to rust. I thought it was de blades being much thinner then injector blades but cart blades are just as thin

 

[Tanuki]

My immediate questions are: is there much salt in your wash/shave water? Is there much salt on your face/stubble? Are you living right next to the beach? Having done some saltwater sailing, I have experienced how invidious salt exposure can be. That corrosion looks extreme.

 

[Don_Pisto]

Interesting part: my gillette guard cartridges and my wife's dorco (dsc) twin blade carts will last over a week before they rust. And she leaves her's in the shower 24/7. Also, I had a long stint with injectors and injector blades and found that the modern Chinese Schick and the personna injector blades would last over a week before they started to rust. I thought it was de blades being much thinner then injector blades but cart blades are just as thin

That’s interesting, and I just checked and see the same thing. My wife has a cartridge blade in the shower and it’s always super humid in that bathroom and those seem to last her weeks. I don’t see any sign of rust. Then I checked in a spare drawer where I had an old disposable cartridge razor, from my days before getting into this, and that thing is probably two years old and there’s no sign of rust. Can’t explain that.

 

[Don_Pisto]

My immediate questions are: is there much salt in your wash/shave water? Is there much salt on your face/stubble? Are you living right next to the beach? Having done some saltwater sailing, I have experienced how invidious salt exposure can be. That corrosion looks extreme.

The tap water is desalinated and it’s possible it has some salt. It doesn’t taste like it though, but I only took a small sip. Yes, it’s true. You don’t want to drink the tap water here.

I‘m about 50m from the beach. It’s right there, so blue and lively waves and sun, and that makes it extra tough being locked in.

 

[Alohawyatt]

Check out the Excalibur Club: tons of great suggestions to increase blade longevity!!

Hello to all
I'm new to Badger & Blade. So please cut me some slack if ask silly questions. I'm interested in blade longevity and I would like to read the thread ”Excalibur Club” but I can't find it. Can some one point me in the right direction. I have used the search and th're some links posted on other threads, but they don't work. Do I need some sort of permission to view it?? I don't get why that would be the case.
Thank you, Wyatt

 

[BigJ]

Hello to all
I'm new to Badger & Blade. So please cut me some slack if ask silly questions. I'm interested in blade longevity and I would like to read the thread ”Excalibur Club” but I can't find it. Can some one point me in the right direction. I have used the search and th're some links posted on other threads, but they don't work. Do I need some sort of permission to view it?? I don't get why that would be the case.
Thank you, Wyatt

Try looking under the ‘Clubs and Brotherhoods’ subforum.

 

[Alohawyatt]

Ok so Im finding out that im a real newbie. How do I find ‘Clubs and Brotherhoods’ I put it in the search window and no luck. Search window at top of screen.

 

[Don_Pisto]

Hello to all
I'm new to Badger & Blade. So please cut me some slack if ask silly questions.

Hello Wyatt,

Don’t worry about asking silly questions on the forum. I’ve asked many silly questions, still do, and there‘s never been a shortage of super cool help from the guys. (Even the many who seem to be 100 years old, which is a lot)

I once asked some silly question about vintage razors and a member sent me several! It’s true. It was an amazing act of generosity that I am still blown away with.

So, keep asking away. You won’t hear “get off my lawn” from any.

 

[Alohawyatt]

thanks Bigj and Don

I just get the fallowing message


Oops! We ran into some problems.
You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action.

 

[Alohawyatt]

Don
Just thought I would like to let you know. I live on the north sore of Oahu Hawaii. Its known for its big surf and sea spray. Every thing rusts fast here. Everything that is except my DE blades. they last me 30 plus shaves. I dont do anything special to them. Most of the time they stay in my razor in the bathroom. Ok if they are a month or two old then yea I get some color on them. But even then I normally can palm strop them and go.

 

[Don_Pisto]

Don
Just thought I would like to let you know. I live on the north sore of Oahu Hawaii. Its known for its big surf and sea spray. Every thing rusts fast here. Everything that is except my DE blades. they last me 30 plus shaves. I dont do anything special to them. Most of the time they stay in my razor in the bathroom. Ok if they are a month or two old then yea I get some color on them. But even then I normally can palm strop them and go.

I used to live in the Yucatán Peninsula, just a brief time for 6 months, also on the beach and there I didn’t have any rust problems. It’s way more humid there compared to where I’m at now.

Yesterday I tried dipping a blade in isopropyl alcohol after use and let it air out. It still rusted although not as much. I could definitely see it but needed a magnifier this time to see.

 

[Alohawyatt]

How about putting it in baby oil when not in use

 

[Don_Pisto]

How about putting it in baby oil when not in use

That’s the next step I’ll try.

i just started a big blade test project though That I’ll just do single use of those. But I may take some breaks with that and try the mineral oil, baby oil method.