How does your stuff look? Shiny and new or with a bit of patina?

I've been keeping all of my DE's and associated stuff pretty much minty. Wipe down after each shave and all.

Interesting that I see some pics posted of kit that has a nice thin layer of old soap on them and while I think I am too anal to let stuff go that long, I kind of like the look of a little patina.

So, how do you keep your stuff... squeaky clean or just let it go?

 

I have a few older razors that were patinad before I got them an just never tried to bring them back up to shiny. I never let my razors get too scuzzy either; at the very least I'll wipe them down when I take the blade out after it has been through rotation but I never really "clean" them at that point. I normally use them until I go through the lot of them and then its bathtime. Scrubbing bubbles and soapy vinegar.

 

I clean mine with a toothbrush when I throw out the blade. Then grab a new razor for the next rotation. I use the same razor and blade all week.

 

A dip in 90% red label alcohol and a wipe with the rag is all I do, except when changing blades on a 3 piece, and then all 3 pieces get alcohol soaked and wiped.

 

Sparks a few more questions...

How many of you use a razor exclusively for some period? I usually have two in rotation each week..

So, alcohol dip after each shave? Interesting.. how do you store the alcohol?

You limit this to the three pieces.. why? Lube issues or something?

 

Depends on the razor. If it is a user, then I clean it after each use for sanitary reasons.

The collector pieces are different though. Some of the really old ones I leave that wonderful patina. It has taken some of them nearly a century to get that look, and I feel like it takes away from the razors history to take that away.

 

I typically use a different razor every day.

I have 20 or so Nellite nesting coffee cups that I store all my soaps in. Another cup holds blades, and another cup has the alcohol in it that nests underneath an empty cup that I pour my boosted witch hazel / alum powder blend into before mixing it with a dash of water before splashing on my face.

No, I dip all my razors in the alcohol after use; TTO, 3 piece and injector. The only time that I go farther with cleaning is the replacement of the blade in the 3 piece because I can put all three pieces in the cup. The TTO gets alcohol inside of it when dunked because I open the doors partially before dunking.

 

I just rinse my razors in water after use. To restore the shine an occasional spray of Scrubbing Bubbles only takes a minute.

 

I love this... See my signature, below.

I have a fairly extensive collection of camera gear. Some of it is new high tech stuff.. Nikon D3, 500mm VR lens and the like and though it all shows some battle scars from my use in a professional environment, it's all kept as pristine as possible. I need to make a living with this stuff, but there is a huge market for it once I have outgrown it and it's gotta be in top notch condition for both reasons.

But I also have a bunch of photog stuff that I bough second hand and I love the patina.. like with my razors, I would love it if this stuff could talk.. share the stories about places, and faces, they have seen.

 

On the topic of disinfecting... can Barbicide be used instead of alcohol? I found a cool Barbicide jar, small and intended for manicure tools. The blue liquid makes the package complete but not sure about Barbicide on the razors and such..

Or, I could always tint the alcohol with a little food coloring...

 

I would not store the razors in the Barbicide, I have read concerns of corrosive properties over time. Aside from the long term storage, i think that perhaps the price of the Barbicide might outweigh any benefits over alcohol...for me anyway.

 

I wasn't thinking of storing them in it.. If I understand correctly, you just give your stuff a dip in the alcohol.. so just a dip.

But it's just as easy to ditch the Barbicide and use alcohol..

 

From what I read Barbicide is only for sterlizing hair products like combs and such but nothing on a blood level. Why not use alcohol and save cash and still know you have a germ free razor?

 

Thats my drill as well.

 

Pretty much my routine right there.

 

Scrubbing Bubbles and an oiling when they come home from the antique mall or flea market.
I use a different razor everyday. After the shave I wipe the razor down with my towel. The blade gets hand stropped and goes into a different razor.

 

I can't really remember why I started the whole alcohol thing...but it is habit that I now have and I am sure if I quit a hole would get ripped in the space-time continuum and I would be swallowed up into a parallel universe where day is night and night is day and shave soap is applied with a razor and you shave with a brush...

Yanno, or something like that.

 

On the bright side, if you apply the soap with the razor you don't have to sterilize it any more... ashamed001 happy102

 

Mine are currently all patina rich as they are straight vintage.
I am looking to slowly clean them up over the next few weeks though. Just a little, I like the patina look though so I won't be completely removing that.

 

My two Gillettes are clean when not loaded with a blade, but they aren't "like new" shiny. I keep my Merkur HD and Futur like new (when not loaded). I give my razors a quick spritz of Scrubbing Bubbles whenever I change blades. and I usually only have one razor loaded for myself (my wife uses my '54 SS most of the time) and leave the blade in the same razor until it's time to change blades.