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Storage and edge retention

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Storing the razor out of the bathroom with a thin film of Vaseline has worked well for me but I get tired of cleaning it off before shaving…
I use to do the same with Vaseline and also got tired of cleaning it off. That is why I switched to Renaissance wax. The wax comes off the bevel while stropping on clean leather before each shave.

Renaissance wax is good for leather and so little is deposited on the strop that it has never had an effect on the draw of the strop.

My 65g tin of Renaissance wax should last about 30 to 40 years, well beyond my expected final years.
 
I use to do the same with Vaseline and also got tired of cleaning it off. That is why I switched to Renaissance wax. The wax comes off the bevel while stropping on clean leather before each shave.

Renaissance wax is good for leather and so little is deposited on the strop that it has never had an effect on the draw of the strop.

My 65g tin of Renaissance wax should last about 30 to 40 years, well beyond my expected final years.

How do you apply Ren wax? Is it just with a soft cloth?
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
How do you apply Ren wax? Is it just with a soft cloth?
No. I just use a my finger. Just the lightest of coatings is needed. At the bevel, I apply it at about a 45° angle away from the spine in both directions.

After application, I gently buff the waxed areas with a soft felt-type cloth being careful not to touch the edge. I do not attempt to buff the bevel. The wax there is removed with the next clean leather stropping (about 50-60 just before the next shave).

The purpose of this waxing is to help prevent oxidation forming on the steel during the blade's 30-day rest period. If a blade is going to be used within the next day or two, I dispense with the wax.
 
Hey Gents!

Only a few months into SR shaving, so still learning something new every day.

This question is in regards to razors maintaining a good edge in storage. A week or two ago I put my razor away to revisit some of my vintage open comb DEs, which was a lot of fun. I oiled up my daily driver SR (a T.I.) with mineral oil as usual and put it away. The edge was refreshed a few days prior and it was feeling great when I put the razor away. The razor sat for a week, and all was well. When I picked up the SR again for a shave, I noticed the edge was a little on the tuggy side, and after the shave I had to refresh it again.

I thought that was strange as the edge was still fairly fresh when I put it away. Is it normal to have to touch up an edge after storing it? I feel like I properly oiled it up before I put it away, but if this is unusual then there was clearly something I did wrong.

I do understand that stropping improperly can affect the edge, but I think I'm passed that at this point in stropping technique.

I'd love to hear what you all have to say. Thank you.
I will assume you don't live in a humid environment. I have a fairly large collection of SRs....so some don't get used for a few months. Post shave I make sure my razors are wiped with a clean/dry towel and I strop on linen 25 laps to ensure the edge is completely dry. Then I let it sit partially open in the air until evening when I typically select my razor for the net day. I don't oil my blades (some are given a treatment with Ren Wax for long term storage), buy most of mine go in the storage box dry. I keep a desiccant pack in each drawer. I have not had any problems with losing keenness of the edge or rust. When I pick one out for use I just strop 25 linen and 50 leather and its ready for use. If you live in a humid environment then you need to take more precautions to keep your razors dry...e.g. airtight storage, Ren Wax, and dessicant packs. It also depends on where you store your razor.
 
Kousuke Iwasaki was an early adopter of volatile corrosion inhibitor paper. He wrote extensively about storage treatments to maintain shave ready edges in a textbook for barbers in a course he taught at Tokyo University. He discusses mineral oil, choji oil, etc and found them all vastly inferior to VCI. It works like magic. This is a guy who was advocating the use of microscopes in barbershops for examing blade edges after honing way back in the 1950's. Lots of Japanese barbers used them. Iwasaki obtained a bachelors and masters in metallurgy & metalography from the University of Tokyo simply to improve the quality of his forging. The man knew of what he spoke. You can buy a roll of it inexpensively on Amazon.

My Iwasaki tamahagane western SR has been in it's original VCI blanket since the early 1970's when it was forged. It needs to be replaced regularly though, which I do by putting in a fresh VCI tab once per year. It still looks brand new.

I have no experience with VCI paper but would like to try some. Are there any brands of VCI to look for or to avoid? In your photo, the ends of the razor are not covered. Any tips on how much paper to use and how to best cover/wrap the razor?
 
I have no experience with VCI paper but would like to try some. Are there any brands of VCI to look for or to avoid? In your photo, the ends of the razor are not covered. Any tips on how much paper to use and how to best cover/wrap the razor?

I use Zerust brand but I'm sure any brand will do. Also, it doesn't matter whether the VCI tab or paper is touching the steel, but it does matter that the container is relatively airtight.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Hey Gents!

Only a few months into SR shaving, so still learning something new every day.

This question is in regards to razors maintaining a good edge in storage. A week or two ago I put my razor away to revisit some of my vintage open comb DEs, which was a lot of fun. I oiled up my daily driver SR (a T.I.) with mineral oil as usual and put it away. The edge was refreshed a few days prior and it was feeling great when I put the razor away. The razor sat for a week, and all was well. When I picked up the SR again for a shave, I noticed the edge was a little on the tuggy side, and after the shave I had to refresh it again.

I thought that was strange as the edge was still fairly fresh when I put it away. Is it normal to have to touch up an edge after storing it? I feel like I properly oiled it up before I put it away, but if this is unusual then there was clearly something I did wrong.

I do understand that stropping improperly can affect the edge, but I think I'm passed that at this point in stropping technique.

I'd love to hear what you all have to say. Thank you.
I have too many straight razors actually and have come to using a razor for two or three weeks without changing so I have razors that sit for months without edge deterioration.
 
I read someone advocating storing razors in silicone treated sheaths to avoid rust / corrosion. So was thinking that, then placing them in my dry cabinet. Here's too humid to leave any non-stainless metals lying around. Is this overkill?

And per @rbscebu's comments, I'm thinking of using Renaissance Wax before I put them in the sheaths. It's a war against humidity down here, I tell you!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I read someone advocating storing razors in silicone treated sheaths to avoid rust / corrosion. So was thinking that, then placing them in my dry cabinet. Here's too humid to leave any non-stainless metals lying around. Is this overkill?
Not overkill. It depends on your environment.

I was using a 30 litre photographic electronic dry cabinet for my SR's in Cebu, Philippines. I was living on a low-lying tropical island. It cost me a bit under USD 100 including shipping from Manila. Well worth it to store over 30 SR's.
 
I use to do the same with Vaseline and also got tired of cleaning it off. That is why I switched to Renaissance wax. The wax comes off the bevel while stropping on clean leather before each shave.

Renaissance wax is good for leather and so little is deposited on the strop that it has never had an effect on the draw of the strop.

My 65g tin of Renaissance wax should last about 30 to 40 years, well beyond my expected final years.
Haven't read through this thread in quite a while and missed this piece of advice. I know for a fact that my dad has some of this stuff. Next time I'm down south visiting I'll have to mess around with it. Thank you.
 
Haven't read through this thread in quite a while and missed this piece of advice. I know for a fact that my dad has some of this stuff. Next time I'm down south visiting I'll have to mess around with it. Thank you.

I have a small container of it I use on this and that. I haven’t tried it. I have had fine success with RemOil and Ballistol.
 
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