Coconut oil is a good natural alternative too!

@@lowwprofile I really wouldn't use coconut oil to protect razers or anything that you leave out in the open. Like butter, olive oil etc. it will go rancid if you just leave it out in the open. You need a good neutral oil that won't oxidise, like mineral oil. Mineral oil isn't a biochemical product, its a naturally existing "raw oil", so not sure why you don't consider it a "natural" oil but if you are dead set against it because of the fossil fuel connection, you can splash out on Camellia ("tea flower") oil, which is much more expensive and (for protecting carbon steels) not really any better than mineral oil.

@@JimIBobIJones ive heard mineral oil as a recommendation for for wood cutting boards.

​@@1.1797It's great for that, only thing it's not great for is leather.

from my experience on using high carbon Japanese knives, you don't really have to sharpen them so often since they can hold an edge pretty well unless you abuse the blade. you also need to make sure that it is VERY dry and you need to apply a thin layer of oil. make sure to use oils that are made for blades and not just use the oil in your kitchen, since cooking oil actually clumps up over time and is quite sticky when dry compared to oils that are specifically used for blades.

Use renaissance wax, it's much better 👍

You can dip a safety razor in rubbing alcohol diluted in water, then disassemble and dry with a lint free cloth, then put a thin layer of mineral oil on the blade. I usually clean my shaving brushes with 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts warm water, then squeeze out any excess and leave to dry on a stand. The vinegar smell washes out when you moisten the brush for the next shave.

@@jimmyrustler8983 Thanks.

I am not sure if it will ruin the blade or not but it will also come into contact with the rest of the handle, and it ain't food grade, son. WD-40 is an industrial product that you don't want scraping across your face with a blade. It will also end up on your leather strop and everything else. And olive oil could go rancid. Just get some mineral oil or paraffin oil, it isn't expensive if you search for it. A basic baby oil with only mineral oil and fragrance in the ingredient list (and nothing else) may also be a good option.

​@@Tim._..Baby oil is my go to for machetes and axes as it's very cheap. 🤣

I did exactly the same thing!!! But I realized that I was using way too much pressure on the DE razor…the way I was used to using the cartridge razor and your technique has to change…. Well thats what I found anyways thought it might help!!

@@justinremple7986 Thanks, I'm giving it another try. :) One thing though, is it takes a very long time to shave with a safety razor. Cartridge razors take me a fraction of the time, and TBH feel closer. But maybe I'll get closer with practice. Thanks again!

just make sure to keep it dry 😉

You can, but it can strip oils out of the steel. Ideally dilute it with a small amount of water, then dry the blade well and oil it. Try to keep the isopropyl away from the handle scales too, as it is a solvent and may damage them.

At least for my razor, it doesn't need anything special. But a gold plated razor will be less forgiving of minor oxidation as you can't remove light marks with something like brasso or bartender's friend without wearing down the gold. If the gold is on the spine, you might be in trouble if you decide to hone the razor - you either have to live with wearing down some of the gold plating or tape up the spine, which would mess up the geometry. I don't have this problem as I maintain my razors using abrasives on strops rather than stones, but if you really can't live with the factory geometry and must set your own edge then you either have to eat into the gold on the spine or tape it up and put up with a more obtuse cutting edge.

​@@JimIBobIJonesYou can clean the tarnished gold with jewellers rouge, that shouldn't wear it off if you rub it on gently with a cloth wrapped around your finger. 👍

@jimmyrustler8983 I think it depends how thick the plating is. "Jewelers rouge" is still an abrasive powder, it is going to remove a fine layer. Would i jind if it was rolled gold or 30+ microns of plating? No but I wouldn't risk it with thinly electroplated gold on a razor.