Mineral Oil Anyone?

M

Mr Foo

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83
Someone posted a review on Amazon for mineral oil, said he used it to store his DE razor in after use.
He thought it served to prevent rust and prolong blade life.

Any thoughts on this?
 
Rust prevention is a moot point as all DE's that I've ever seen are Stainless Steel, brass or aluminium. They're designed to be immersed in water. Ditto the blades, they're generally stainless steel. :?:
And I don't really want to prolong the life of a 10 pence blade, it's designed to be thrown after a few shaves..

Is this bloke on Amazon totally crackers? :lol:
I would have thought it was a massive ball ache to clean the oil off too?
 
If you happen to be using an un-coated carbon steel blade then it would work but the only ones I know of are Treet Carbon. I sometimes use baby oil (which is basically mineral oil and a fragrance) on my straight razors but as far as a DE goes I just shake off the excess water and let it dry in the open. When I use Treet Carbon blades I only use them once.
 
Bollocks. Use the razor, shake it dry, return. Like your willie.

And like your willie you can use baby oil if you like but it won't prolong anything.
 
I have heard of it before but think it is overkill. I tried swishing the head in IPA (Isoprppyl Alcohol not the Pale Ale) and to be honest I noticed no difference. Same with drying the blade after shaving, if there is a difference it is so marginal that I do not notice it and my time is better spent on shave prep of the face.
 
Hiya,

Mineral oil is something I find to be very handy to use when I run across a razor with a less than silky smooth TTO movement. Yeah, it's good for lubing things up without leaving any sorta nasty residue. I'll use a Q tip to lightly oil the door joints and will sometimes pour a little inside the razor itself to help unbind anything that may be sticking in there. If the razor's really funky I'll soak the thing in that oil for a bit. Oh yeah, it's also good for smoothing out the adjuster dial action on those types of razors.

Martin
 
Hmmmmmm, I'd best not ask what you guys think of the scale model pyramid aligned to the Grt Pyramid of Cheops which I store my razors in overnight at summer equinox I guess.

JohnnyO. \ ;)
 
dodgy said:
Hiya,

Mineral oil is something I find to be very handy to use when I run across a razor with a less than silky smooth TTO movement. Yeah, it's good for lubing things up without leaving any sorta nasty residue. I'll use a Q tip to lightly oil the door joints and will sometimes pour a little inside the razor itself to help unbind anything that may be sticking in there. If the razor's really funky I'll soak the thing in that oil for a bit. Oh yeah, it's also good for smoothing out the adjuster dial action on those types of razors.

Martin
Click to expand...

I was only thinking about the claims it prolongs the blade life. I think it would help for longer term storage ie if you are the kind of guy who has a few razors all with a blade in them on the go. But for most a single blade is in play at a time and for that it is not worth the hassle of oiling a DE blade.

I forgot about that part of the question, you are right Martin. A light mineral oil is the best for lubing the razor, and I would use it before storing a razor away.

PM sent to JohnnyO on where to get these pyramids from :lol:
 
Canuck said:
Rust prevention is a moot point as all DE's that I've ever seen are Stainless Steel, brass or aluminium. They're designed to be immersed in water. Ditto the blades, they're generally stainless steel.

I would have thought it was a massive ball ache to clean the oil off too?
Click to expand...

Actually that is a common misconception. Stainless steel will rust just like carbon steel, albeit by a slower rate. The chromium component only adds rust resistance, not rust proofing.

That said, dunking the blade in oil, especially for a DE, would be a huge hassle and the benefits small. As has been previously stated, alcohol removes the moisture content. Unless you live by the sea where salt water gets at the blade, there will be no appreciable reduction in rusting rate. For a DE, with a lifespan of only a handful of shaves, the blade is not going to rust quickly enough to notice any appreciable lengthening of sharpness. Not saying it doesn't work, just saying its not worth it. You'd probably get one or two more good shaves out of a blade if you dunk it in oil and alcohol.

But that is really really OCD and a lot of effort for only two shaves....

A better option is to place it in an airtight container after the alcohol with a dehumidifier packet.
 
Actually that is a common misconception. Stainless steel will rust just like carbon steel, albeit by a slower rate. The chromium component only adds rust resistance, not rust proofing.
Click to expand...

You are quite correct, stainless steel will most certainly rust, even high grade stainless subjected to adverse conditions (simply apply a chlorinated warm water solution)

But yes, the notion of using mineral oil is almost certainly more trouble than it is worth, the topic was intended to provoke debate, it seems it has.

Many thanks to all those who contributed to the topic.
 
This idea of protecting the blade from corrosion has been a concern for me since 6 month now and it did have improved the life span of my blades.

My experience with blades is that after a few shaves they tend to irritate my skin rather while they have not lost a significant part of their sharpness. My best guess about this fact is that the micro corrosion between two shaves on the edge of the blade causes those irritations. From my experience, whether the blade is in open air or not is the same sharpness wise.

Rather than using mineral oil, I use vegetable glycerin : A small volume in a cup, I place my blade rinsed and dried in the glycerin between two shaves. It is completely safe from air and easily removed with warm water as glycerin is miscible with water.

Now I can use my blades up to the point they are too dull to be effective which thing has almost double their lifespan for me.
 
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