Super-fast Rust and Black Marks on razor?

I wipe my blade with a cotton cloth, strop half heartedly, leave razor unfolded to dry, never experienced water mark or rust.
Not sure where I went wrong then. When I first opened it up I thought I'd spilt pasta sauce over it while doing some half asleep 3am cooking, but transpires that was just the reddish brown rust gunk.

Got blade oil arriving tomorrow on amazon prime. WD40, silica gel and O2 absorbers keeping it hopefully stable overnight.
 
No, I read somewhere not to do that. I just wipe it down with a damp kitchen towel, dry with a micro fibre cloth then strop it and back in the case. I thought I was doing the right things, but evidently not!

If i may offer an observation.

Your pic shows water marks and a rust bubble.
The stain is either from very hard water or from dirty cloths.
The rust bubble is because the steel has had a drop of water sit on it.

I think you are caring for it to much.

After use, rinse it with HOT water and shake it dry. do not wipe it with anything. Let the heat from the water dry the razor. Leave it suspended (If it has a hole in the handle).

Don't put it back into its case unless you need to move it. Cases are rarely for anything other than delivery or long term storage.

A wipe with mineral oil (Chemists, or a squirt of 3-1 ) weekly may help.

It is Carbon steel so it will age.

I will admit to not owning a straight (fwiiw)
 
If you intend to use razor on a regular basis, skip case, skip WD40, silica gel and O2 absorbers, just keep the blade clean and let it rest somewhere dry aka not in bathroom between shaves.
 
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Just on the point of stropping AFTER shaving,

Surely it is better to strop a single blade just before use? The Carbon Steel edge would degrade quickly from sitting in the atmosphere before use?
Or do you strop again before use (and if so, isn't this needless wear on the blade?)

I don't use single edge razors, but i would not use a carbon steel DE blade if it had been left unwrapped for a period of time.
 
Just on the point of stropping AFTER shaving,

Surely it is better to strop a single blade just before use? The Carbon Steel edge would degrade quickly from sitting in the atmosphere before use?
Or do you strop again before use (and if so, isn't this needless wear on the blade?)

I don't use single edge razors, but i would not use a carbon steel DE blade if it had been left unwrapped for a period of time.
Strop after, rids the edge of water and minimises the risk of pitting a good edge. Even if it 'blunts' from sitting around, having water on it will only exacerbate the degradation.

Edit: Stropping before shaving only keens the edge. It's the same action for a different reason, stropping after vs stropping before.
 
Just on the point of stropping AFTER shaving,

Surely it is better to strop a single blade just before use? The Carbon Steel edge would degrade quickly from sitting in the atmosphere before use?
Or do you strop again before use (and if so, isn't this needless wear on the blade?)

I don't use single edge razors, but i would not use a carbon steel DE blade if it had been left unwrapped for a period of time.

I'd read that you should always strop before and after. It appears from my perspective that plain leather stropping is a straightening method, rather than a sharpening method.
 
The corrosion has a definite tide mark that follows the scale outline with the blade closed. The corrosion is also clearly water marks, my conjecture; although the blade may be thoroughly dry there is moisture still inside the scales particularly around the pin of the tang.
What you describe post shave is correct, clean off the marks with some peek polish & after the shave run some dry tissue back/forth inside the scales including the portion behind the hinge pin, I rinse with hot water to get some heat into the blade and leave the razor open at 90 degrees after drying to let the warmth of the blade drive off any remaining moisture.
In summary the rust shown is a product of water (quite a lot actually)& air, so there is still more drying to do.
You're doing the hard bit fine, by all accounts a small extension to your routine & should be fine.
 
The corrosion has a definite tide mark that follows the scale outline with the blade closed. The corrosion is also clearly water marks, my conjecture; although the blade may be thoroughly dry there is moisture still inside the scales particularly around the pin of the tang.
What you describe post shave is correct, clean off the marks with some peek polish & after the shave run some dry tissue back/forth inside the scales including the portion behind the hinge pin, I rinse with hot water to get some heat into the blade and leave the razor open at 90 degrees after drying to let the warmth of the blade drive off any remaining moisture.
In summary the rust shown is a product of water (quite a lot actually)& air, so there is still more drying to do.
You're doing the hard bit fine, by all accounts a small extension to your routine & should be fine.

The WD40 seems to have done the trick in halting any moisture incursions until the oil arrives (tomorrow apparently - next day delivery but pissing long “dispatch”). Like Windolene in Big Fat Greek Wedding (which is true btw), my dad always says “problem? Put WD40 on it.”

Is there any good way to remove the existing rust marks and black water stains from carbon steel?
 
One of the metal polishes mentioned already will do the job, I have used WD40 to help as a cutting oil rather than use the polish neat.

I would use a cotton bud & go easy, just polish the spots first & then an extremely light once over to blend them in against the rest of the blade. Very easy to end up with localised satin/scratched areas where the water marks used to be. Keep away from the etched areas of the blade, polishing will remove the etch quite quickly, be careful.
 
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