Stainless? How to deal with humidity and rust

[kohalajohn]

Here in Hawaii my gd is rusting. My bismarck, thank god, is doing well.

i am now oiling them both after every use.

Are there excellent quality razors in stainless?

 

[KW Driver]

Friodur, which is the Henkels stainless models. I have a 17 that’s an excellent shaver. Pretty sure most stainlesses will be good, otherwise. But they’ll also stain too.

I live with humidity too, and just ensuring my blades are dry and placed in silicone impregnated sleeves (without oiling) has worked for me. But I’m not dealing with saltwater here either.

 

[Brutus]

Our house is less than a mile from the sea and that’s in a tropical climate (up to 110F in summer) with high humidity and have never had any issues with corrosion on carbon steel razors when applying Ballistol (and more recently Tuf-Glide) within 24 hrs of using the razor.
I do wipe them clean and dry (including the space between the scales), and do a few laps on the strop after use though.

Don’t own any GDs and don’t know about the carbon steel they are made of, but for vintage stainless steel razors Friodurs are excellent and for newly produced razors I can only recommend Ralf Aust stainless steel razors.
Never had an Aust I didn’t like.


B.

 

[Polarbeard]

Friodur as mentioned by @KW Driver and Aust mentioned by @Brutus. Both areap great. Dovo makes some that are sold as stainless, but I wouldn't necessarily take their word for it.
Edit: I'm not totally sure but I recall seeing stainless blades on the Revisor site too.

 

[Seveneighth]

I like my Böker stainless razors a lot, my Dovos not so much.

 

[6Cuda6]

I would think that the silicon impregnated sleeves would solve this issue for you....

 

[Mango]

Silica gel !
I have them stored in leather pouches..... surrounded by 10 kg silica gel bags. Never had an issue.

 

[totorlekiller]

Dovo makes some that are sold as stainless, but I wouldn't necessarily take their word for it.

I have 2 Dovo Renaissance which were sold as stainless for about 5 years now. No rusting or staining issues.
So far the only razor claiming to be stainless that showed signed of oxidation for me was the Titan, but it travel a lot and was not always in the driest environment.

 

[kohalajohn]

Thanks. Yeah, I just added post shave oiling as part of my routine now.

 

[Randall J]

I do not keep my straights in the humid environment of the bathroom. I haven't had rust problems yet.

 

[Scarry Knight]

After cleaning/disinfecting/drying (sometimes using compressed air)/stropping, I oil, roll them in a tissue paper square, and then slip them into their felt sleeves or boxes. For those without boxes, I wrap in a second layer of brown masking paper. The papers absorb the oil and serve as an extra barrier, like the silicone impregnated socks/sleeves. I use Ballistol, Gun Butter, and/or Rust Free from A.G. Russel.

 

[PerpetualWonderer]

Silica gel !
I have them stored in leather pouches..... surrounded by 10 kg silica gel bags. Never had an issue.

I do this as well, but stored in a very small lock box (I have children in the house). Haven't had a problem but I don't live in a very humid environment, either.

I bought the blue silica gel packets, which supposedly you can re-use by sticking them in a microwave or bake at low temp. That way I don't have to throw anything away which is part of the reason why I got into straights in the first place.

 

[Sandy]

I have also used the silica gel i bought online. This company offers different colour silica gel. Blue Silica Gel turns from blue to pink when saturated. This is used for non-dusting packing of electronic equipment and when visual moisture control is needed like in camera. Orange-indicating Silica Gel changes from orange to green when saturated which means they need to be replaced.
The colourless Silica Gel is tasteless, odourless and non-reactive. It adsorbs up to 40% of its own weight and turns from clear to hazy or milky colour when saturated. Plus, its also food-safe, FDA compliant. Here's the link.

Silica Gel : https://streampeak.com.sg/e-catalogue/categories/desiccants/loose-bulk/desiccant-silica-gel
Desiccants: https://streampeak.com.sg/e-catalogue/product/categories/desiccants

 

[Squinty]

I'm another Balistol user, guns and blades
Tends to get a bit damp here in the UK and this month has been no exception to that, when not raining humidity has been a constant 80-90%. The only blade that has had any sign of rust or 'staining' (it is rust...isn't it?) has been my new Revisor, went very quickly one day in August, rain-30deg C-rain -95% humidity. Since then I oil ASAP.

 

[ackvil]

After moving to AZ, the humidity problems I had in FL disappeared. When I lived in FL I kept the razors in my rotation in a drawer that had one of these.

 

[rs_776]

Here in Hawaii my gd is rusting. My bismarck, thank god, is doing well.

i am now oiling them both after every use.

Are there excellent quality razors in stainless?

I have a 5/8 Dovo Inox. I can't speak to how well it will fare under the Hawaii climate, but it holds up well in Illinois. I put it back in its coffin without any oil, and I've stored it for months at a time without issue.

I find that it's a great shaver. It's a fairly easy razor to hone, and it holds an edge quite well. I'm not a huge fan of 5/8 razors, especially those with a round point, so it doesn't see a ton of use. When I do use it, I'm reminded what a great shaver it is. So I would consider that an option.....

 

[Acmemfg]

Pencil cases. Never a problem. No rust. Keep them in the bathroom about 2 1/2'
from the shower.

 

[johnmrson]

Friodur, Boker and Dovo all make good stainless steel razors. My favorite though is an old vintage "Rust Less" razor. It shaves like a champion and handles the humidity of the Sunshine Coast really well.

 

[Legion]

Friodur, Boker and Dovo all make good stainless steel razors. My favorite though is an old vintage "Rust Less" razor. It shaves like a champion and handles the humidity of the Sunshine Coast really well.

John!

What have you done with the rest of your extensive collection. Did you buy a dry cabinet?

 

[johnmrson]

Hey David, the collection numbers around 50-55 these days. Still rotating through them all on a daily basis. Since moving to QLD, humidity has definitely been more of a problem but a light coat of camellia oil keeps the rust away. My wife runs the aircon a fair bit during the more humid days so that also helps.