An Improved Apparatus for Cleaning and Sharpening Razor and other Blades.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st July, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug.. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Cleaning and Sharpening Razor and
other Blades.
I LINA PRYOR of 86 & 87 Strand in the County of Middlesex Gentlewoman
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The object of my invention is to provide a very simple and cheap and yet
extremely efficient apparatus in and by which razor and other blades can rapidly
surely and safely be cleaned and sharpened.
To carry out this object I mount in suitable standards erected on a base two
parallel rollers which can most conveniently be made of or covered with some
yielding compressible material and these rollers are so mounted in the frame as
to be adjustable and capable of being moved towards or away from each other.
The rollers are so geared together it may be by elastic bands that when one
roller is revolved it may be by an handle the other roller is revolved in the
opposite direction whereby their surfaces where they approximate to each other
move in the same direction.
According to one form of construction these rollers are separately covered
with some material that will clean and sharpen the blades preferably leather
and when as for example is usual for and with razor blades two qualities or
styles of this leather or material are required the rollers may be made long
enough to be provided and covered with these two qualities or styles one being
on each half of each roller or two pairs of shorter rollers may be provided in
a similar manner each pair being covered with one of the two qualities or styles
and so on if more that two qualities or styles of the leather or material are
required. Above the rollers is adjustably supported by the standards a rest or
holder for the blade it may be of a V shape and a long narrow slot in the
bottom of this holder allows the thin part of the blade to pass therethrough and
enter between the rollers to be cleaned and sharpened thereby and when as
aforesaid these rollers are lengthened to be covered with two qualities or styles
of leather or material this holder also is lengthened and two separate long narrow
slots may be made therein one being for each of the qualities or styles and 60
on if more than two qualities or styles of the leather or material are required.
According to another form of construction the leather or other material
can be passed round both rollers in the form of a band and these rollers would then
be mounted in the same manner some distance apart and the one band would
be outside the other band. At the desired position between the two rollers
these bands can be separated and the aforesaid rest or holder can be supported
in the same manner between the same whereby again the blade is allowed to
enter between the bands and be cleaned and sharpened thereby. Any suitable
guides can be fitted near and to these bands where desired to press the same
together and it is obvious that in this case it is not necessary that the rollers
should be geared together. In the same manner also more than two bands can
be passed round these rollers for the purpose aforesaid.
Dated this 21st day of October 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Cleaning and Sharpening Razor and
other Blades.
1, LINA PRYOR of 86 Strand, in the City of London W.C. do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
The object of my invention is to provide a very simple, cheap and yet extremely
efficient apparatus in and by which razor and other blades can rapidly, surely and
safely be cleaned and sharpened.
To carry out this object I mount in suitable standards erected upon a base, two
parallel rollers covered or partly covered with a yielding and compressible material,
and these rollers are so mounted upon and within the said standards as to be
adjustable and capable of being moved towards and away from each other.
In one form of construction the said rollers may be long enough to be provided
and covered with two qualities of material, the one more suited for sharpening the
razor or other blade, the other for polishing or cleaning the same, or two rollers
may be mounted upon one spindle so that two spindles may carry two pairs of
rollers covered with material of the two qualities named, and so on if more than two
qualities or styles of material are required. Above the roller is adjustably mounted
in, and supported by the standards, a rest or holder for the blade or blades, in which
is provided one or more long narrow slots to allow the thin part of the blade or
blades to pass therethrough, and enter between the rollers, to be cleaned and
sharpened thereby.
In a second form of construction according to my invention the said rollers are
placed some distance apart and the leather or other material employed for
sharpening and polishing the blades is arranged to pass around the rollers in the
form of endless bands, in such a manner that one band would be outside the other
band, and at certain or desired positions between the rollers, the said bands are
separated by guides or holders for the blades, whereby the blade or blades is or
are allowed to enter between the bands and be cleaned and sharpened thereby, said
bands being pressed close together near the cutting edge of the blade or blades by
suitably disposed guides or rollers. In this method the first named rollers need not
be geared together as the rotation of the one imparts motion to the other by means
of the said endless bands.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevation and plan respectively of the apparatus constructed
according to the first named method, the first figure shewing the position occupied
by a razor blade when placed therein to be cleaned or sharpened or both.
Fig. 3 is an end view of same as viewed from right to left of Fig. 1, the opposite
end being precisely the same minus the friction rollers or toothed wheels and the
handle for operating the rollers.
Fig. 4 is a cross section taken upon the line A B Fig. 2 shewing the position
occupied by the blade in the slotted guide or holder provided for the reception
thereof.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the said guide or holder taken upon
the line C D, or E F when two such slots are provided.
Fig. 6, 7 and 8 are plan, side elevation, and longitudinal section respectively of
the second method of construction according to my invention, and which will be
hereinafter fully explained.
.
Similar letters of reference are used when indicating the same or like parts of the
drawings.
In carrying my invention into effect in so far as regards the method of construction
shewn by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, I provide a wooden or other base A, upon which]
mount two standards B and C, which may be of brass or other suitable material
but preferably of metal. Within and upon these standards I mount the spindles o

page_text: two parallel rollers D F, the cores ab of which may be of wood or metal, the outer
surfaces being of any material suitable for sharpening the razor or other blade, but
in practice I prefer to use an intermediate substance a which may be rubber, cork,
chamois leather or other soft pliable and elastic material, and an outer surface d of
leather, which may be of the same kind from end to end of the rollers, as in Fig. 1,
or of two or more kinds or qualities as in Fig. 2, in order that the one may be used
for sharpening and the other for polishing the blade. The roller F I prefer should
revolve in circular bearings formed in the standards B, C, while the roller D revolves
in a slotted bearing in the same standards, in order to accommodate blades of
different thicknesses.
The spindles ef of the rollers extend beyond the standards B C, and carry upon
their ends loose rollers 9, and embracing each pair of said rollers I provide a gut,
rubber or other elastic band h, the tension of which serves to keep the outer
surfaces d of both rollers close together and pressing against each other. One end
of one of the roller spindles, preferably that of e, extends beyond the adjacent
standard sufficiently to carry a handle or its equivalent G, by which the roller F
may be rotated, which by reason of the rubbing contact between the rollers imparts
a reverse motion to the roller D, and to further insure the reverse motion of the
rollers relatively to each other, I may mount upon the spindles ef friction wheels, F¹
and D', as at Fig. 3, or in place of said friction wheels I may employ toothed wheels
loosely gearing with each other for the same purpose.
The upper extremity of each of the standards BC is slotted and receives one
end of a guide plate, or blade holder H, which may be of vulcanite, bone, wood,
ivory or other material not likely to injure the cutting edge of the blade if accidently
brought in contact therewith, or the said holder may be of metal and covered with
chamois leather, rubber or other like material for the same reason. The said holder
may be rendered adjustable by any suitable means so as to be capable of being
placed nearer to, or farther from the rollers D F, at will, so as to accommodato
blades of different widths, but I prefer said adjustment should be attained by the
means of milled headed screws passing through and engaging with projections k
formed upon B and C, and with the projecting ends of the holder H, as shewn in
the drawings.
I have previously mentioned that the outer surfaces d of the rollers D F, may
be of two different materials or of two kinds or qualities of leather, and for the
purposes stated, and to accommodate the uses of these I provide in, the guide or
holder H, two long narrow slots m and m' so that the razor or other blade may be
first placed in, say m and be sharpened, and then placed in m³ to be polished, or
three or more such slots may be provided in H if its length be arranged therefor,
so that three or more blades may be operated upon simultaneously. Or when the
covering d of D F is of the same material from end to end, only one such slot may
be needed in the guide or holder H, or the outer surface d may be in the form of
narrow strips wound around the intermediate substance c in spiral form, in order
that, as the rollers are rotated, the contact between said spiral strips and the blade
or blades, may be in a sliding direction, extending from the toe to the heel, or from
the heel to the toe of the blade or blades, similar to the direction of contact that
occurs between a razor and strop when sharpened in the usual way hitherto
employed.
The sectional form of H is such that it may dip between D and F, preferably
without touching either, and when properly adjusted the razor or other blade or
blades I is or are placed in m or m', or both, so that the cutting edge or edges
thereof pass downward and between the opposing surfaces of Ď and F, and the
cutting edge or edges is or are sharpened and polished thereby when the said rollers
are rotated by the handle G. The sectional form of H will be understood by
reference to Fig. 5, and the position the razor or other blade or blades occupy
when placed in the slots thereof is rendered perfectly clear by the sectional view
Fig. 4.
Referring to the second form of constructing the sharpening. and polishing

page_text: apparatus illustrated by Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I employ the same or a similar base A,
upon which I mount, longitudinally, two standards or bearing plates K and K¹, of
any suitable shape or material, and so arranged as to form bearings for flanged
wooden, or other rollers L and L, and upon the said rollers I mount, one upon the
other, three endless leather or other bands O, P and R, so that collectively these
form one continuous band, the width of which approximates to that of the length of
a razor blade.
In each of the sides or standards K and K' at or about the position
shewn by the drawings, I form two openings S and S', of such size and shape that
the blade of a razor may pass lengthwise freely therethrough from either side. The
holes S S in K may be immediately facing those in K' or obliquely thereto as may
be desired, but preferably the former, and extending from S in K to S in K¹. I
provide a channel or passage T, which passes between the bands R and P, and
similarly from S' in K to S' in K a passage or guide T', which passes between O
and P. The bands R P after being parted by T, are brought close together again
by rollers V and V1, mounted upon and within K and K', and similarly the bands O
and P after being parted by T', are closed again by rollers W, W₁, also mounted
upon and between K and K. The spindle of the roller L extends beyond K¹ and
carries a handle G similar to that shewn in the previous method, and by this the
roller L is rotated.
This method also provides that two razor or other blades may be sharpened
simultaneously or one may be sharpened while the other is polished.
To attain this one blade is passed through one of the openings S', and the
guide T', with its cutting edge towards the rollers W W', the second blade being
similarly passed through one of the openings S, and the guide T, with its cutting
edge towards V V₁. The rotation of L by G in the direction of the arrows in
Figs. 7 and 8 gives motion to the bands O, P, R simultaneously, and as these are
conveyed around L and L¹, they are caused to impinge upon each side of the
cutting edge or edges of the razor or other blade or blades and to thereby rapidly
sharpen, clean and polish the same.
A suitable provision is made in connection with the bearings of one or the other
of the rollers L or L', for tightening the bands as they become loose by stretching
or wear, such for instance as that shewn by X in Fig. 7, in which the roller L₁ is
journalled within a block at each end, which slides in horizontal slots formed in K
and K, and rendered adjustable by a milled headed screw, or by any other con-
venient means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1st. For cleaning, sharpening and polishing razor and other blades, the use and
employment of the apparatus herein described, and the alternative methods of
constructing same, substantially as set forth and shewn by the accompanying
drawings.
2nd. In an improved apparatus for cleaning sharpening and polishing razor and
other blades the employment of a pair of parallel rollers D F, the cores a 6 of which
are coated with a rubber, cork, chamois leather or other resilient substance c,
covered or partly covered, spirally or otherwise, with one or more qualities or
styles of leather or other suitable material d, mounted by their spindles e f upon
aud between standards B C, fixed to and upon a base A. The manner of rotating
the said rollers in opposite directions by the handle G, and their frictional contact
with each other, or by that of friction or toothed wheels F and F. The guide or
carrier H, adjustably mounted upon the standards B C, and dipping between D
and F, with slots m and m' for carrying and holding the razor or other blade or
blades I. The rollers g with rubber or other bands for keeping D and F in close
contact with each other, the whole constructed, combined and operating substantially
as and for the purposes stated and shewn by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings
hereunto appended.

page_text: 3rd. In an improved apparatus for cleaning, sharpening and polishing razor and
other blades, the construction and use of a base A, with sides or standards K K¹,
carrying flanged rollers L L' with triple layered leather or other band O P R, with
blade guides or holders T T¹ coinciding with apertures S S₁, and so arranged that T
passes between and divides P and R, which are afterwards closed again by
rollers V V¹, while T₁ passes between and divides O and P which are afterwards
closed by rollers W W, the whole connected combined and operating substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by Figs. 6, 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
LINA PRYOR,
86, Fleet Street, London, W.C.