Rust on an Ralf Aust

[Bjlefebvre]

Hey all,

So I bought this Ralf Aust 5/6" straight in June and have been really enjoying it - using the diamond paste balsa strop method, it still gives me a BBS shave for most of my face/neck. It's been in my steady rotation of four straight razors. I generally use one for a week, wiping the shave lather from blade with a hand towel between strokes (i.e., not rinsing it with water), stropping it after each shave and storing it on my bedroom desk (not in the bathroom) between shaves. Anything that finishes its one-week use gets a wipe of mineral oil on it for storage.

Still, I noticed a huge rust spot on the tang near the pins last week. I don't have rust on any of my three other straights.For the life of me I don't remember this razor ever having even touched water in the near six months I've owned it.

Any clue how this might have even started? High room humidity during the summer? I tried looking up any language on warranty/returns on the Aust Web site but don't see anything. I'll try contacting him directly.

 

[Eastcoast30]

More info needed:

1. Are you sure it is rust?
2. Which room do you keep your razor in?
3. How do you store your razor? Type of container, etc.
4. How do you dry your razor after shaving?

Once you advise, many here will have recommendations for you.

 

[Bjlefebvre]

I keep my razor on my bedroom desk, not near the bathroom. I keep it standing up straight in a glass jar. After shaving I wipe any excess lather/shaving scum off with a towel. I don't run it under a faucet at any time, and don't put any water on the towel. It's a "dry" wet shave. Then 20 strokes on a balsa strop, 20 more on a linen strop and finally 20 more on a leather strop.

I'll try seeing if some vinegar on a Q-tip does anything but if it isn't rust I don't know what it is. It ain't tomato soup.

 

[Herrenberg]

How it looks to me is that some water got trapped between the tang and the scales and sat there for quite a while, with the razor in the closed position.

FWIW I let my razors sit out to dry, in an open position, for some time after shaving (after drying them of course). But I have low humidity here.

 

[Eastcoast30]

Sorry, missed that part about the bedroom. I'm not sure what caused that rust. Aust makes a good product, so I don't think the scales are gassing. If they were, there would be more rust. Myself, I find it hard to keep the pivot perfectly dry, shave after shave. So I do not try. I run my razor under hot water, both open and closed. I thoroughly irrigate the scales, especially at the pivot so as to not leave any soap scum, wet hairs, etc. within. Then I used folded over toilet tissue to dry within the scales. This is easy to do. After that, I always leave the razor out for a while to dry and then place them in their original container or a sleeve, wrapped in VCI rust inhibiting paper. Others will chime in with other methods for both storage and rust removal. Good luck.

 

[Bjlefebvre]

Ugh. I think it started at the pins. I took a closer look and it's rust city back there. I used the flash on my phone camera.
This is crazy. I've been using this, a Gold Dollar, a vintage Grelot and a Gustave Lalune and this is the only one showing rust. This is the only the fourth or fifth time it's been in rotation, too. The scales are on super tight, so I guess any water it may have picked up - or even the northern Virginia humidity - just got pressed into it. I wonder if some lather fell behind there at some point and I didn't notice it to wipe it away. Woof.

 

[lloydw]

Try keeping a spray bottle of alcohol - I spray after cleaning as this helps evaporate the water in all the harder to reach spots. It works for me

 

[alex1921]

Why would the maker offer warranty or return for this? This is a user error but not a big deal. Unpin, clean, repin.

 

[sanookd]

Hey all,

So I bought this Ralf Aust 5/6" straight in June and have been really enjoying it - using the diamond paste balsa strop method, it still gives me a BBS shave for most of my face/neck. It's been in my steady rotation of four straight razors. I generally use one for a week, wiping the shave lather from blade with a hand towel between strokes (i.e., not rinsing it with water), stropping it after each shave and storing it on my bedroom desk (not in the bathroom) between shaves. Anything that finishes its one-week use gets a wipe of mineral oil on it for storage.

Still, I noticed a huge rust spot on the tang near the pins last week. I don't have rust on any of my three other straights.For the life of me I don't remember this razor ever having even touched water in the near six months I've owned it.

Any clue how this might have even started? High room humidity during the summer? I tried looking up any language on warranty/returns on the Aust Web site but don't see anything. I'll try contacting him directly.

View attachment 1556015

On the remote chance moisture got trapped between the pivot pin and the scales you could use a blow dryer on the cool setting just to make sure you got that part dry. Then don’t close the blade in the scales get awhile. This of course is moving forward. It won’t help you now I’m afraid.

 

[JPO]

I oil the pivot pin to avoid rust developing in the this area. WD40 is designed to penetrate and repell moisture. Might be worth looking into. Alcohol does the same but doesn't protect anything.

 

[RayClem]

Ralf Aust razors are produced from carbon steel blanks forged in Solingen, Germany. All carbon steel will rust; that is the nature of the material. Thus, it is not a manufacturing defect.

The pivot is the most common place for rust to start as moisture can get trapped between the blade and the scales. It is difficult to dry properly. I keep a small bottle of light machine/gun oil mixed 50/50 with 91% isopropyl alcohol to use to dry, lubricate and protect my razors. Try to get the 91% isopropyl alcohol if at all possible. At that concentration, water and alcohol evaporate at the same rate so you do not leave water behind. If you use the more common 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol, the alcohol will evaporate leaving behind a film of water which can promote rust. However, mixed with oil, it is still better than oil alone.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Get in there with WD40 and a small brass brush and you'll get most of it out. Probably want to unpin it at some point and get it all, but that ought to help arrest the active rust. Vinegar or Barkeepers Friend will work convert the active rust to black oxide too but you'll want to be careful because it can create a patina on the unaffected steel.

It's not really a big deal...even a 150 years worth of buildup on a vintage is easy to clean up if you unpin it.

 

[Bjlefebvre]

Get in there with WD40 and a small brass brush and you'll get most of it out. Probably want to unpin it at some point and get it all, but that ought to help arrest the active rust. Vinegar or Barkeepers Friend will work convert the active rust to black oxide too but you'll want to be careful because it can create a patina on the unaffected steel.

It's not really a big deal...even a 150 years worth of buildup on a vintage is easy to clean up if you unpin it.

Thanks for that. That sounds like a plan. I hate unpinning razors but no way around it in this case, it looks like. Those scales are on tight - I'll probably have to use a drill bit to split the pin in this case, unless there are other methods folks can recommend.

 

[Titleist]

Thanks for that. That sounds like a plan. I hate unpinning razors but no way around it in this case, it looks like. Those scales are on tight - I'll probably have to use a drill bit to split the pin in this case, unless there are other methods folks can recommend.

Un-pinning and then re-pinning a razor by someone who has never done it is ill-advised. You're running the risk of damaging the edge, ruining the scales or both over an issue of what amounts to surface rust.

I would use the methods recommended with different solvents and perhaps some dental floss, small brushes, lapping papers, et al, before I messed around with removing pins and the like. Ballistol or Eezox are great solvents to use.

Be careful not to do something that you are going to regret later.

Just my advice.

 

[Brutus]

Whenever I have the slightest suspicion that some moisture might have gotten into the pin area, I add a drop of Ballistol, open and close the razor a few times, and wipe off the excess oil.

It helps prevent trouble like that.

And as others already said, carbon steel will rust when exposed to moisture.


As far as a comment regarding gassing is concerned, I thought gassing was strictly a celluloid issue, which Ralf Aust to my knowledge does not normally use, and it would not be limited to the area where the blade is pinned.


B.

 

[alpster]

Take a tooth brush with 1/2 a drop of tooth paste and scrub the area and rinse under running water. Use dental floss between the scales and blade. Dry it out with a blow dryer and coat the pivot area with oil (3in1, wd40, etc.) a q-tip is best for this. Your razor is fine and will serve you for many years with a little care. IMO

 

[Acmemfg]

Best time to replace those ho-hum scales with some new, snappy handles from Doc226

 

[Eastcoast30]

I second the dental floss idea. I have used that several times. And I would not attempt to unpin. I would send to Alfredo (@Doc226) for that.

 

[Bjlefebvre]

Thanks all for the advice.

I've pinned/unpinned scales before, but these are horn and not something I wanted to inadvertently damage. So after reading up here (and checking in with Aust for advice as well) I used some polish with a Q-tip to remove the active rust on the areas reachable outside the scales then polish and fishing wire for the inside bits. Did that for a while, then wiped all that down with dry Q-tips and cloth and dried it. Then I sprayed a little bit of WD-40 on the inside bits. The more I looked at it, the more it appears that the rust originated from one of the washers between the scales and the tang.

Sorry for the freak out. I've been using straights for years and this was the first experience I've had with active rust. Obviously there was some moisture I missed on it, but this razor also has the tightest connection on the scales I've ever seen - they creak when I open the razor. Looks like I'll have to be extra vigilant that nothing gets in there that doesn't come out.

Thanks again!

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Yup, carbon steel rusts.

Learn to shave without getting your shaving hand wet or lather on the scales or pivot.

If you do get the scales and or pivot wet, make sure it is completely dry before putting the razor away, with compressed air, paper towel, toilet paper or microfiber.

Oil will not hurt horn.