DOVO Beginners Guide: Barber James Zap shows you how to clean & maintain your Straight Razor

[@JimIBobIJones]

WD-40 won't in any way harm carbon steel. It is less than ideal for protection (as most of it evaporates and what's left is a sub-par as a lubricant) but it won't damage your razor either. And there is nothing wrong whatsoever with olive oil - I use it to keep my high carbon Japanese kitchen knives rust free (even if it is "food grade" I really don't like the idea of ingesting oil extracted from fossil fuels) and have yet to have any issues whatsoever.

[@lowwprofile]

Coconut oil is a good natural alternative too!

[@JimIBobIJones]

@@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.

[@1.1797]

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

[@jimmyrustler8983]

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

[@chrisblanc663]

I just got my first barbershop shave the other day. It was the best facial hair experience of my life! I can’t seem to get the straight razor shave down right myself, but I make do with my safety razor.

[@robmiller54]

Just getting started, Your videos are just what I need, Dovo Prima Silver Steel for My first.

[@karlrasur9852]

Ballistol is great. you can even use it as after shave lotion if nothing else is lying around. good for cuts too. i always use it for wounds while at work. helps great to avoid infections. im a carpenter. Camilia oil is the high end option though. thats what the japanese use and it feels less oily.

[@otlndsh]

Yes! Ballistol all the way :)

[@kirin347]

I can oil my lever guns and straight razors at the same time with Ballistol!🤩

[@vicholtreman1405]

You know, I’m 62 and I’m all about tradition. But I shave me head and I’ve tried switching to a closed comb safety razor and I ended up looking like I went 10 rounds with Freddy Krueger. I had to put paper towels on my head and a ski cap over that so I wouldn’t bleed all over my pillow going to bed. I wanted this to work, but I’m going back to an expensive, but SAFE multi-blade razor.

[@justinremple7986]

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!!

[@vicholtreman1405]

@@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!

[@NEV4G]

Can you explain why Petroleum Jelly will ruin the blade? I have a ceremonial sword made by Pooley swords England and they recommend using vaseline for storage of the blade to stop corrosion. Thanks, great video! 👌

[@jimmyrustler8983]

Use renaissance wax, it's much better 👍

[@cameronbartlett856]

I'm curious as to how wd-40 or olive oil will ruin the blade.

[@Tim._..]

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.

[@jimmyrustler8983]

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

[@abdullahal-shimri3091]

I use vitamin E oil

[@databuck1599]

Is there any other special maintenance for carbon steel blades besides making sure that it is dry? Do they need to be sharpened more often, for example?

[@ValenThePowerful]

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.

[@francescozago4466]

carbon steel blades are usually harder than stainless steel in my experience

[@Alex00789]

Do you have advice on how to clean a safety razor and a shaving brush?

[@jimmyrustler8983]

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.

[@Alex00789]

@@jimmyrustler8983 Thanks.

[@7ajhubbell]

Thank you.

[@AmandaS-si9mh]

I just bought my first SR, kind of on a whim. I'd like to sanitize (really, really well) before I use it the first time. Obviously, i don't want to damage the blade in the process. Any advice?

[@francescozago4466]

you should try with ultrasonic cleaning. I use that and imo it is the only way to clean in the most difficult spots without using super-strong chemicals

[@cw7422]

Can you sanitize a straight razor by dipping it in isopropyl alcohol?

[@dovo1906]

just make sure to keep it dry 😉

[@jimmyrustler8983]

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.

[@kovokarota6282]

Thanks for the video Can we use the clipper oils Wahl , Andis or Oyster for the blade ? Thanks

[@tomaseguchi5793]

I wonder about usa IPA to clean the blade with a paper towel, just because i have tons in the laboratory and i was wondering, technically its a 1% water and 99% isopropanol alcohol so it would certainly get dry very fast. any comments on that?

[@billm.2677]

Many plastic scales rapidly crumble after contact with isopropyl alcohol. I am experienced in the practice. 😢

[@tomaseguchi5793]

⁠@@billm.2677mine is made of wood so I think the most it could happen is some wood drying. But I wonder about the blade part. Thanks anyway for your response! I do use isopropanol a lot to dissolve stuff in my lab so Im kinda use to that too

[@billm.2677]

@@tomaseguchi5793 I think isopropanol is fine on the steel especially carbon steel for water dispersant properties

[@hesjustthatgood]

I would be scared of not correctly maintaining it and ruining it. Good video

[@jimmyrustler8983]

Another great option for razor corrosion resistance is Froglube. It's food safe and has a light minty smell. As for cleaning your razor blades, use peek metal polish for a very dirty razor, and jewellers rouge for those that need light cleaning, or have any gilding/gold wash on the blade. Apply it with a clean suede polishing cloth ideally, but a paper towel will work too. As for handle scales, any that are horn or bone can be kept in good shape with carnauba wax, or renaissance wax.

[@steelwarrior105]

Ballistol smells, just an fyi to those that wanna use it

[@steevemartial4084]

Thank you. Do you have to take special care of the 24k gold plating? It would be a shame to scrap it away.

[@JimIBobIJones]

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.

[@jimmyrustler8983]

​@@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. 👍

[@JimIBobIJones]

@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.

[@ronaldjohnson6102]

Dude get out of that suit and be real. Your awesome thank you

[@Barbrady007]

Those poor buttons.

[@redcftgb]

This man’s fit is harder than the razor steel.