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Feather Blades Rusting

I have a Merkur Slant and 3 vintage Gillettes. I put feather blades in all of them and have been alternating shaves with each of them, occasionally going back to my cartridge, to let my face rest. I am still very much a newbie and today was the first that I did not draw blood. Yea!!!

I noticed today that in all 4 razors, there was rust. After shaving, I rinse well and set the razors on edge(narrow) to dry. I'm concerned because the rust is transferring on to the razors themselves.....I thought they were plated brass?

Should I be removing the bladed after each shave? Kind of a bummer if I do, but I don't know what else to do. The blades were in the razors about 20 days, since I was rotating. Can I change the same blade to a different razor until it's dull? I'm using Feather Hi-Stainless and I'm guessing they aren't stainless.

I should also say that I don't alway shave every day.

Thanks....
Doc
 
I have a Merkur Slant and 3 vintage Gillettes. I put feather blades in all of them and have been alternating shaves with each of them, occasionally going back to my cartridge, to let my face rest. I am still very much a newbie and today was the first that I did not draw blood. Yea!!!

I noticed today that in all 4 razors, there was rust. After shaving, I rinse well and set the razors on edge(narrow) to dry. I'm concerned because the rust is transferring on to the razors themselves.....I thought they were plated brass?

Should I be removing the bladed after each shave? Kind of a bummer if I do, but I don't know what else to do. The blades were in the razors about 20 days, since I was rotating. Can I change the same blade to a different razor until it's dull? I'm using Feather Hi-Stainless and I'm guessing they aren't stainless.

I should also say that I don't alway shave every day.

Thanks....
Doc

First, I wouldn't worry too much about damage to the razor. The rust stain should be easily cleaned off whenever you want without too much trouble.

Stainless is all relative. What's promoting the rust, most likely, is that the water wicks up between the cap and the blade and the blade and the base that it rests on. You can loosen the head to leave an air gap between parts and they should dry more quickly and thoroughly. Also, if you're not doing so already, make the last rinse with really hot water. This is a trick that commercial dishwashing machines use. Having the metal of the razor hot will dry it that much more quickly.

You can certainly transfer the blade from razor to razor, though it increases your risk of getting cut, with the extra handling.

Some here keep a container of 91% alcohol nearby and dip the head of the razor into it after the rinse. This draws out any remaining water and dries more quickly.

If you loosen the head as I've suggested above be *very sure* to re-tighten it again before you shave. You can nick yourself up badly using a razor that's not tightened up.

- Chris
 
The blade will remain sharper with less rusting if you moved it between razors and "used it up", instead of keeping multiple blades going in parallel over a longer period of time. This may not appeal to you, but an even better approach is to stay with the one razor & blade combo for a number of days until the blade is dull. Then toss the blade and switch to a different razor and fresh blade. Loosing the end cap to thoroughly rinse out all the soap residue will also help minimize rusting.
 
The blade will remain sharper with less rusting if you moved it between razors and "used it up", instead of keeping multiple blades going in parallel over a longer period of time. This may not appeal to you, but an even better approach is to stay with the one razor & blade combo for a number of days until the blade is dull. Then toss the blade and switch to a different razor and fresh blade. Loosing the end cap to thoroughly rinse out all the soap residue will also help minimize rusting.

All good advice
 
More than likely you have iron in your water and thats what is staining the blades. Scrubbing bubbles or a mild vinegar solution should remove it easily.
 
More than likely you have iron in your water and thats what is staining the blades. Scrubbing bubbles or a mild vinegar solution should remove it easily.
Thank you, but in a past life, I was in the water quality business and there is no iron in my water. No iron stains on anything in the house after 10 years of living here.
I might try the vinegar to remove the rust stains on my razors?? Some of the stains are in really small nooks and crannies.
 
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