I screwed up. Help.

[MedicBill]

The story:
A couple years ago, a friend let me know that he had shaved with a straight razor, and had some good results. I did what any reasonable human being would have done; I went out and purchased a straight razor start up set from Jim @ Vintage Blades (Jim is awesome, by the way!).

I watched Lynn Abram's DVD, and was all ready to shave. I gave it a couple tries, and was starting to get the hang of it (with a few cuts to prove it!).... Then my military obligations took me away from my home for a bit. My parents moved to a different house, and my razor was put in a storage bin.

I received a Merkur 38C for Christmas, and have been shaving with that, which got me thinking about the straight. After tearing through all of the storage bins in the basement (sorry mom), I found her. And she's not looking so good.

It appears that several spots have developed on different parts of the blade. They feel rough, and they're a dark brown color. Does anybody know what this is? Did I ruin this razor (say it ain't so!)? How do I fix her?

The confession:
I did not store it oiled, and I know it's not an excuse, but my life was just on the hectic side when it was put in storage. As far as I remember, I gave it a good cleaning the last time I used it.

I've included several pictures for your review. Any assistance would be appreciated. I've learned my lesson, honest.

[MedicBill]

More pictures...
The razor is a "Dovo Classic Black 5/8"", if that is of any assistance.

[mainaman]

looks like rust.
use maas/flitz/turtle wax polishing compound/mother's to clean up an shine the blade.

[Kelly siefkas]

Wow! I hope that big piece of rust on the bevel hasnt eaten completely thru. If it has that blade may be toast. The rest is an easy cleanup, but that big spot on the edge is scary.

[Luc]

+1 try some metal polisher

Funny, I keep my straights in the bathroom and none of them are rusting

[touching wood]

Hopefully it won't start

[/touching wood]

[professorchaos]

You are going to have remove the rust and see how much it has eaten into the edge. It is entirely possible that whatever damage there is can be honed out.

[MedicBill]

Thanks for the responses folks, I'll keep you updated.

[JonnyAngel]

There is no reason that you cant save this razor. You should see the restoreations that guys do with 150 year old crap off E-Bay. I say elbow grease with a bit of MAAS polish, then a good honing is all she needs.

[gollum83]

That's rust. It's probably not as bad as it looks. You'll want to remove it all the same though. Keep us updated.

[Ray-man]

If you don't have the stuff to do this, send me a pm and I can help you.

Ray

[kwigibocity]

Even with a deep chunk of rust right on the bevel, you should still be okay (with a lot of work). Try the aforementioned metal polishers with some soft cloths and toothbrushes, and hopefully you can just hone out the problem.

I've restored lots of old blades to fine shavers, plenty with bevels attacked with rust. As long as the remaining metal's still structurally sound you'll be fine.

[MedicBill]

if you don't have the stuff to do this, send me a pm and i can help you.

Ray

***Outstanding Gentleman Alert***

I emailed Ray... he asked that I ship the razor out to him, and include funds for return S&H.

In a flash, the razor was back in my hands. Rust completely removed, with a fresh hone!!!!

This was in my opinion an outstanding gesture, and I cannot speak highly enough of Ray.

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally remind everyone about Ray's business, Straight Razor Sharp.

It is comforting to know that in the confused and hurting world we live in, extraordinary acts of kindness are still out there! Thanks Ray.

[Alacrity59]

I always enjoy Ray-man posts.

[thunderball]

Awesome. It's guys like this that make B&B such a great place.

[domino]

Ray, that was very kind of you.

[azmark]

If you don't have the stuff to do this, send me a pm and I can help you.

Ray

Always there to help.

[TChewy]

Ray and others like him are what make me proud and honored to be allowed as part of this community.

[JPM]

Ray does a great job. We're lucky to have so many good people as part of this forum.