I guess I'm a little OCD with my razors too. I take them apart and rinse them, dry them, then polish them up with a soft cloth, I'll even twist the cloth into a point that I can insert into the female thread as a lot of water tends to sit there. IMO if any corrosion is to occur it will be in the threads where water sits, so about once a week I'll apply a little light oil to the threads (or even cooking oil will suffice) Follwing this procedure, I've never had to take a toothbrush to it yet, although the adjustables/TTO razors are a little trickier to keep completely clean of soap scum due to all the little hard to reach places.
Leave my DE razor together or take it apart everyday?
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Daniel, I can only tell you what I do, and give you some general information on rust and corrosion so that you can make your own decisions. First, my routine:
I'm a bit OCD, so I break down my 3 piece razors after each shave if I've got the time. I wipe everything dry (patting the blade in a towel carefully) and then re-assemble. If I'm running late, however, I just loosen the head halfway, run it under some hot water, tighten it up and call it done. If I think about it, I might use a small atomizer of isopropyl alcohol to spritz it if I didn't break it down in order to displace any water that might be hanging around. When I change out the blade, I try to do a more-thorough cleaning, using Scrubbing Bubbles or a toothbrush and some dish soap, and a microfiber cloth as necessary to keep it nice and shiny.
Now, is all that strictly necessary? Not at all--like I said, I'm somewhat OCD about my razors, and most of mine are vintage. Lots of guys just rinse quickly under hot running water and let it go at that. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
Now, on to what I know about the EJ razor and the rust and/or corrosion question. First, no razor that I know of (save those made of stainless steel) will ever "rust". Only iron and it's alloys are prone to rust. The head of the EJ razor is made of a zinc alloy called Zamak. It's a low-melting-temperature metal sometimes referred to as "pot metal". The good thing about it is that, for the manufacturer, they don't need major forging kilns and extremely high temps to cast it. The bad news is that, in the presence of air and water, it will corrode quite easily.
Not to worry, though! By plating those zinc alloy parts with chrome, nickel, or some other metal, no water will ever be able touch that Zamak--unless the plating is compromised. That's why most razors are plated, by the way--not just because it looks so good! It's done to protect the base metal from corrosion, be it Zamak (which both EJ and Merkur heads are made of) or brass (vintage Gillette). If the plating is missing and water is allowed to stay in contact with the base Zamak metal, corrosion is inevitable and can't be reversed.
So, now on to the DE blade itself: almost all modern blades are made of stainless steel, and while SS will rust eventually if it is kept wet, that's not going to happen for weeks at least, and maybe months. I'm guessing you don't generally use a blade for a month, right?No worries, then!
Long story short: if your razor's plating is intact and you replace your blades regularly, do whatever floats your boat--it's not going to matter one way or the other.
Wingnut I like your complete answer. It was helpful to me.
I guess that makes me OCD also. I take the blade out and rinse and dry everything before putting it away for the day. I just feel better when I clean it all up.
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So, now on to the DE blade itself: almost all modern blades are made of stainless steel, and while SS will rust eventually if it is kept wet, that's not going to happen for weeks at least, and maybe months. I'm guessing you don't generally use a blade for a month, right?
I have seen different brands of stainless steel blades rust overnight. There are different kinds of stainless steels with different properties.
After my first shave today, I opted to take it apart, dry all of the parts, polish a bit and then reassemble it. I think that proper care will keep it looking great and lasting longer.
this is what i do as well
As a retired engineer I can say that it's a good thing to loosen, flush, tighten almost closed to allow for air flow, then store in an upright position. (a tooth brush holder is great for drying your razor. ) Retighten head, center blade before shaving again. Repeat.
Cleaning after shaving (a good firm flush will help) keeps the bacteria count and such to a safer level. Scrub once a week ( an older tooth brush works great) will help avoid any infections from nick/cuts.
Good for you. Always take care of your tools and they will always take care of you.
I clean my SS razor when changing the blade....
I don't like messing with the bade too much. It's pretty fragile, even a small bump can make your next shave a pain without even realizing.
So, i never take it apart if i don't have to replace the blade. When i'm done shaving, i just open the head a little, so the water can get through easier, clean it with a towel and leave it to dry out. When i replace the blade, i go through a more thoughtful cleaning, taking it apart, and cleaning the parts with a brush and some dish soap. After that i dry all parts and clean it even more. I like using some cotton swabs to get into small areas.
So, i never take it apart if i don't have to replace the blade. When i'm done shaving, i just open the head a little, so the water can get through easier, clean it with a towel and leave it to dry out. When i replace the blade, i go through a more thoughtful cleaning, taking it apart, and cleaning the parts with a brush and some dish soap. After that i dry all parts and clean it even more. I like using some cotton swabs to get into small areas.
I shave infrequently,about twice a week, so I do take my razor apart between shaves and remove the blade if it was a TTO that I used.
I've seen some tips on a few videos where people dip the razor in rubbing alcohol afterwards for disinfecting and displacing moisture, which does seem like a good idea. But... I came across this article when researching zamak corrosion and now I wonder if it might not be such a good idea.
"Alcohol. Pure alcohols are considerably less corrosive than water, but mixtures of water and alcohol are more corrosive than water alone. As a result, zinc-aluminum alloys are not recommended for alcohol-water mixtures, such as found in various beverages."
So if there is already an exposed spot in the plating it might speed up the corrosion process? I think drying the razor and not leaving it moist is key to having it last longer. Perhaps a mineral oil dip now and then might be good?
I've seen some tips on a few videos where people dip the razor in rubbing alcohol afterwards for disinfecting and displacing moisture, which does seem like a good idea. But... I came across this article when researching zamak corrosion and now I wonder if it might not be such a good idea.
"Alcohol. Pure alcohols are considerably less corrosive than water, but mixtures of water and alcohol are more corrosive than water alone. As a result, zinc-aluminum alloys are not recommended for alcohol-water mixtures, such as found in various beverages."
So if there is already an exposed spot in the plating it might speed up the corrosion process? I think drying the razor and not leaving it moist is key to having it last longer. Perhaps a mineral oil dip now and then might be good?
I'm not going to pretend I know the "right" way, but I leave mine together on a daily basis. Occasionally, I give it a swish in alcohol. If I know I am going to change blades for my next shave, I will take it apart and let it air out between blades.
Leave it together. Clean it all when you change blades.
I take my 3-piece razors apart, rinse them, wipe them dry and leave them disassembled for 12-24 hours for complete air-drying after every shave. Metal, even stainless steel, can rust if left wet. I have seen it happen. I also run a Q-tip down the threads of my handles after disassembling the razors for that reason.
After each use I loosen the head and rinse under HOT tap water and leave to dry before tightening. When I change the blade I disassemble it, clean it and let it dry. I also blow into the hole in the top of the handle to try to get rid of any residual moisture and then leave it to dry before reassembling. 
I hate to be the one to point this out, but if you are blowing into the hole through your mouth, you are blowing very damp air in there. While the air flow may speed evaporation, the moisture in the air flow is probably canceling out that potential benefit. That's why, in real life, nobody would ever blow down the barrel of a smoking gun the way they used to in old time movies. The moist air would just speed corrosion in the barrel. JMO.... I also blow into the hole in the top of the handle to try to get rid of any residual moisture and then leave it to dry before reassembling.
I do
Same here!I do
