Keep your blades clean

Over time, the blades of your straight razors suffer.
We describe in this article how to maintain your blades every day to make them keep their superb! After shaving, dry your blades with a soft dry towel.
Please ensure that there is no water left between the scales and if needed blow the water out.

Did you know that a small drop of water present during a single day can leave traces of oxidation on a mirror polished blade?
Removing traces from oxidation may require much effort. Keep yourself out of trouble and take these few seconds of observation that will save you a lot of work.

Keep cleaning and drying while maintaining the razor from the handle. Close your razor using your towel, you will avoid any skin contact with metal. The skin always sweat and gives some acid that may attack delicate metals.

Once your razor is completely dry and closed, place it in a ventilated area away from light. Air flow will continue the drying process and the absence of light will slow the natural oxidation process of all metals.

If you still need to discover abnormal gray spots on your razors, do not panic. Most often, these spots are due to surface oxidation without gravity. A soft cloth and metal polish will make these stains disappear in less time than it takes. Some stains are more resistant than others ... do not persist and proceed in several sessions of polishing. Use a soft non-abrasive cream on to avoid scratching the mirror finish on the blade.

After several sessions, the stains resist? Then we have a deep corrosion. You can then use pastes containing fine polishing abrasives. In more severe cases yet, you can use red and green pasta used for sharpening the blade. Always start with the green chromium oxide paste (more aggressive) and continue with red iron oxide paste (softer). If you own diamond pastes, and continue at 1 and 0.25 micron and finally finish with the non-abrasive polishing compounds ...

The stain still does not go away? Remove a corrosion stain that resists to anything that is described above will require the removal of a metal layer. Opt for a manual process using an abrasive stone like a Coticule (6-8000 Grit) or a non natural stone of 4000 Grit.
Some places are not accessible with a stone. Then use sandpaper ... But watch out the scratches!

As you understood, when talking about oxidation, prevention is better than cure!
If you are not using your razor for a while, oil them. Apply a thin layer of vaseline oil, it will avoid direct contact with air and should slow the oxidation process. Pack everything in a greasy paper and put the razor in his cases. Stored away from light, it will resist much longer to time attacks.

We hope these tips will help you avoid some dramas...