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Straight razor “simonizing”

Reveal your secrets to such beautifully polished straight razors, please. I see so many stunningly polished and pristine str8s on the “which straight did you use today” thread and I’m struck by their appearance. Special cloth wipe downs? Oil after every shave? Some other post-shave cleaning regime perhaps? Do tell...
 
There are only five ingredients:
  • A keen eye for salvagble razors. Be prepared to file your mistakes as costs of learning.
  • A lot of elbow grease. The restoration sub forum is filled with good advice.
  • Patience, it takes years to find great razors at reasonable prices.
  • Lack of spouse or one with a lot of love, humour and understanding. I had the later, then she got a very early call to a better place, but I still got the cub. He has just as much love humour and understanding as his mother had.
The bullet points above can be replaced by the fifth: money, which in turn is obtained by selling your soul. Unfortunately for me it turned out that I didn't have a soul.

But why take my word for it? You're already standing at the edge of a very deep hole. Take a deep breath and do a leap of faith and start a wonderful journey. Just remember that if you start hiding your purchases from your loved ones, if you start using soap only when shaving, if the only thing that's Important is where you can find the next straight razor or if you spend the content of your childrens' piggy banks on straight razors then you might have an issue to deal with. Then again as long as your collection doesn't take up a whole room you'll be fine... you should see my straight razor room it's fantastic.:letterk1:
 
I can tell you its a very deep hole to get into but very rewarding and many hours of work

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But this is also a fantastic thread to find most of the info your seeking

What's on your workbench right now?

That will take you to the page
 
Thank you for your responses so far. But I’m mostly looking for post-shave, wipe down, cleaning oiling and de-oiling maintenance routines.
 
Pretty simple really.
After using, wipe everything down well with a Kleenex or something similar. Don’t forget the inside of the scales. Hit it with about 20 laps on your strop (I use the fabric component for this), put it away in a moisture resistant container until next time. That’s it.
 
I use just a regular bathroom rag to wipe my razor (a light stropping motion after each pass to keep bevel clean ish between passes). After the shave I do a better job at drying with a clean t shirt and some good stropping.

Every now and then I will use some metal polish (I use mothers polish). Best to do it when a razor needs to go back to the stones as the polish will kill an edge.
If there is any etching or gold wash though you need to be a bit more careful. The metal polish will eventually remove those
 
Rinse. Dry on a towel or tissue. Strop on leather. Pinch the bridge of your nose to gather some razor oil on your fingers. Wipe along the blade and over the edge.
 
Rinse. Dry on a towel or tissue. Strop on leather. Pinch the bridge of your nose to gather some razor oil on your fingers. Wipe along the blade and over the edge.

First I’ve heard of this. But I LIKE IT! cool idea because it’s practical and does not require more products and storage. Gonna give this a try...
 

Legion

Staff member
First I’ve heard of this. But I LIKE IT! cool idea because it’s practical and does not require more products and storage. Gonna give this a try...
I wouldn't...

Skin "oils" contain salts, and other corrosive elements. We do it with our strops sometimes, but never with a blade.

When you see the expert samurai sword evaluators, or anyone working in museum preservation really, they NEVER touch carbon steel with their bare hands. Pretty sure in all my years working in museums I never saw anyone wiping nose oil on there either.
 
Agreed. Fingers on steel razors will ultimately (over time) leave stains, even with just the oil on your hands. I always wipe my razor clean with cloth or tissue and do not touch the blade face when closing. I will use the cloth on the spine to close.
 
After shaving, rinse off the soap under hot water, then dry with a stropping motion on a towel.

Then wipe on a cloth that has been sprayed with Ballistol. Again with a stropping motion. That will leave a microscopic film of oil on the blade.

You can dry it with toilet paper but you have to be careful not to cut the edge into the paper.
 
After shaving, rinse off the soap under hot water, then dry with a stropping motion on a towel.

Then wipe on a cloth that has been sprayed with Ballistol. Again with a stropping motion. That will leave a microscopic film of oil on the blade.

You can dry it with toilet paper but you have to be careful not to cut the edge into the paper.
This is pretty much what I do and I’ve never had issues. I also think it’s important to keep your razors stored outside of the bathroom in a low moisture area.
 
I rinse the blade under hot water-toe down, edge down

Dry on cotton t-shirt, strop 20-30 laps on suede

Store in silicon sleeves

Never oil anything
 
I rinse the blade under hot water-toe down, edge down

Dry on cotton t-shirt, strop 20-30 laps on suede

Store in silicon sleeves

Never oil anything
Can you show a picture or provide a link for the silicon sleeves you use? I'd be interested in seeing if that might work for me as a storage solution.
 
I do the same as Doc, but I'll just use a dry bath/hand towel. and I try my best to not let any water get past the heel onto the tang or near the pivot.
 
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