Corrosion on my DOVO Bismarck

Hey guys, I'll have some photos up tomorrow when I can get a camera, but my month old DOVO is already facing some pretty fierce corrosion issues which are leaving me both upset and really confused. I noticed about three weeks ago, overnight practically two gigantic pock marks on one side of my blade. I tossed it up to me doing SOMETHING heinously wrong, even though I'd been very careful to always dry and clean the blade after using, and make sure it was dry before I closed it up.

I have been EXTRA careful after these two marks showed up, and now I have noticed smaller marks appearing along the blade, and what appears to be rust coloured corrosion on the top of the spine(which I had taken to be gold inlay, but which I'm guessing in fact isn't?). It's rather upsetting to have dropped $100+ on a blade and have this happen.

I've been traveling as of late, so I know my apartment water is not the culprit. The blade has been used under city tap and country well water, and consistently I've used my Tabac soap. I've always cleaned and dried it carefully. I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can, but does this sound like an issue with maintenance on my part, or something inherently wrong in the production of the blade?

Do you have any other razors? You didn't mention it so I assume you don't. From your description, your razor started rusting within one week of use. That seems quite odd to me. I would contact the seller and try to get it exchanged. Of course, unless your seller is fantastic in customer service, it seems doubtful you will get anywhere with it as it is likely that they will blame you for it.

Barring an exchange, you need to get rid of the rust and then keep it away. I would first try just polishing it with Maas or Flitz. That should get rid of surface rust and at this point that is all you should have. Then to keep the rust away, the best lubricant presumably is Tuff-Glide, which is re-applied every few weeks. I don't use it, because I don't trust putting unknown lubricants on my skin, but it's supposed to be the best for razors. Instead, I just dip my dried razor into a solution of 0.5% olive oil in isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). The advantage of this is that the alcohol disperses the water and speeds its evaporation and the olive oil remains behind to lubricate the blade. The oil residue is minimal and will be cleared off of the edge on the strop. I have used this method for years and it has no ill effect on the strop. It protects my blades just fine in the humidity of my basement bathroom and in my locker at the gym

After the shave, make sure that scales and blade are dry.
Keep the blade always oiled to avoid rust.

I am using camellia oil after every shave.I noticed some discoloration on my dovo special but I think it came from some shaving gel I used. I don't use it anymore and the discoloration has stopped but has not gone away. It is slowly fading though.

Your razor is made of high carbon steel.

High carbon steel is very susceptable to corrosion. It is not a defect in the razor, it has to do with razor care.

First thing I do after a shave is to clean and dry my razor. Before I do my cold water rinse, before applying alum, before cleaning my brush.

I clean my razor with a dry towel up as close to the edge as I can, then I strop the razor lightly on a dry towel to dry the very edge, then strop the razor lightly for ~30 laps on the leather strop (the oils from the strop help protect the edge), then I hold the razor by the scales and make sure to dry off the tang and monkeytail.

If you leave your razor wet for even 15 minutes you can get spotting and watermarks. It's just the nature of high carbon steel.

If you use polish to get off the corrosion you have be aware that polish will whip your gold wash off in a heartbeat. If you really love that gold wash, someone else may be able to chime in on how to remove the corrosion without removing the wash, but I don't know how you'd do it.

I recently purchased a razor with a gold wash all along the spine and tang, much like the Bismarck. I couldn't stand it. To me, the gold wash was way to fussy to maintain, so I simply used some metal polish, and viola! No more gold wash!

To me, I like the looks of the pure steel much better, and it greatly improves the ease of maintenance. Water spots? Hit it up with some more polish, no gold wash to worry about.

The Bismarck is a very nice razor. Polish it up and enjoy it.

If carbon steel maintenance makes you nutz, then go get a stainless Dovo. They are really excellent razors, and much easier to care for. Really, there is no drawback that I've found with my Dovo stainless. It is as smooth as most any of my carbon razors, maintains a wicked edge for a long time. The only real drawback is that there is only a limited selection of stainless razors to choose from, whereas 97% of the razors out there are high carbon.

To develop corrosion in one month is impossible unless you live really close to the ocean and salt water was in contact with the blade. You probably have some very light surface rust which can usually be taken off with a pencil eraser. If that doesn't do it some metal polish will.

I probably did not clean my blade as well as I thought I did. I am still scared to use that shaving gel again.My regular soap isn't giving me any problems. Also, I use the towel I use to shower with to wipe of my blade. That is probably a definite no no. I have to get a seperate towel for my blade only. Before I mark up my razor completely.Although, I do a final wipe with toilet paper, and now,(since I got the discoloration) camellia oil.

Thebigspendur said:

To develop corrosion in one month is impossible unless you live really close to the ocean and salt water was in contact with the blade. You probably have some very light surface rust which can usually be taken off with a pencil eraser. If that doesn't do it some metal polish will.

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You can quite easily get corrosion overnight if you don't wipe down your blade correctly.

Maybe we're taking about two separate things here, rust and corrosion. Rust is iron oxide and is a stain or coating of varying thickness which can be taken off with anything from a pencil eraser to metal polish to sand paper depending how thick it is. Corrosion is an advanced state of rust where the process actually eats into the metal forming pockets of varying depth and has to be sanded out. To develop corrosion overnight is impossible under normal circumstances. I've seen metal subject to salt water that had significant rust form very quickly like within a few hours but even that was not corrosion. Unless your talking an acid bath which mimics corrosion but is of course different I don't see it happening in this scenario.

Seraphim said:

You can quite easily get corrosion overnight if you don't wipe down your blade correctly.

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Yeah, I've been cleaning it pretty damn well. I imagine I MUST have missed a small spot or something somehow, because these are two POCKS, two craters right into the side of it, that you can feel with your fingernail.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I'm gonna look into some oils and polish and see if I can clean this baby up, or at least keep the rust from getting worse.

I have a red Bismarck that I was able to get two dark spots on the blade, within 3 weeks of getting it. I rubbed the blade down with Ballistol and a cotton rag, took the spots right out and didn't harm the gold wash. I know they were my fault because I didn't dry between the scales. Now I'm ultra paranoid and I wipe them with toilet paper about 3 times after finishing shaving.

If you have two crators in the metal that formed so quickly there is something else at work.

I generously wipe my blades with alcohol thinking that it probably displaces water. Seems to work.

Joel K

Thebigspendur said:

If you have two crators in the metal that formed so quickly there is something else at work.

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Perhaps the ultra dry air of New Mexico gives you different results from the rest of us?

Wipe clean with towel, wipe with one sheet of toilet paper to completely dry it, fold toilet paper and swab out between scales. Those water droplets have a way of hiding between the scales. I only oil mine if taken out of daily service for a while. Also beware of proximity to hot steamy showers and any sink cleaning the wife does. All she has to do is move it with wet hands.

Seraphim said:

Perhaps the ultra dry air of New Mexico gives you different results from the rest of us?

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I don't think so but just think about it for a moment. For rust to develop and turn into corrosion and eat a crater in otherwise healthy carbon steel in 24 hours? That just isn't natural. And to prove it here's what I'm going to do. I have a junk razor clean with no rust on it (a 5/8s beau brummel). Tonight I'm going to put in in a glass of water and leave it there for three days. Then I'll take it out, not dry it but leave it in the bathroom another two days. Then I'll take a picture and post it here. if it has any true corrosion, (I'm not talking rust, I expect that) on it I'll eat it. How's that?

You don't have to eat it, just shave with it....

I guess I don't follow your definition of rust vs. corrosion. In my book rust=corrosion, and vice versa.

Bowcephalus said:

Wipe clean with towel, wipe with one sheet of toilet paper to completely dry it, fold toilet paper and swab out between scales. Those water droplets have a way of hiding between the scales. I only oil mine if taken out of daily service for a while. Also beware of proximity to hot steamy showers and any sink cleaning the wife does. All she has to do is move it with wet hands.

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I know what you mean. I have to be the last out of the bathroom at night just to be sure she didn't get some water on it somehow.

Bowcephalus said:

Wipe clean with towel, wipe with one sheet of toilet paper to completely dry it, fold toilet paper and swab out between scales. Those water droplets have a way of hiding between the scales. I only oil mine if taken out of daily service for a while. Also beware of proximity to hot steamy showers and any sink cleaning the wife does. All she has to do is move it with wet hands.

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And most important, save sheet of toilet paper for intended use, it'll be nice and slick.

OK, just a progress report. The razor has been fully submerged in water just about 24 hours now and its about 90% covered in a light coat of rust but there are no signs of actual corrosion yet. We'll recheck in another 24 hours.