Improvements in Razor Stropping Devices.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 189 -Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by EGON LOTHAR SCHMITZ, of 92, Neade Street, in
the City of New York, United States, Merchant.]
Improvements in Razor Stropping Devices.
I JOHN ROBERT WATTS, of Lambert Street, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Cutlery Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in that class of
devices that are used for automatically reversing a razor blade at the end of each
stroke while stropping the same and especially to devices for stropping the blades
of safety razors.
The object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which is simple
in construction and effective and reliable in use.
The invention consists in the combination of a U-shaped frame having projections
on the ends of its shanks, rocking-arms on the shanks of the frame, a blade-holder
pivoted on the ends of said arms and having projections engaging the projections
on the shanks, whereby the blade-holder is swung when the arms are rocked, and a
rod uniting the said arms.
The invention also consists in the construction and combination of parts and
details as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings-
Fig. 1 is a side-view of an improved razor-blade stropping device, the strop
being shown in section.
Fig. 2. is an end view of the same.
Fig. 3. is a side-view of a modified construction on a larger scale.
Figs. 4 & 5 are end-views of the same, showing the parts in different positions.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The U-shaped frame A is provided with a handle B. secured to and projecting
upward from the cross-piece. To each shank A' of the U-shaped frame an arm C
is pivoted, which arms are connected by a rod D. at about one-half of their length,
said rod passing through the segmental slots E in the shanks A¹ of the frame A.
The ends of the shanks are cut to form toothed segments and said segments engage
the pinions F mounted to turn on pivots in the lower swinging ends of the arms C,
which pinions are connected by a U-shaped blade-holder G for receiving the
blade H to be stropped. J represents the strop.
The blade H is placed into the holder G and the strop Jis passed through the
apparatus in such manner that. the cross-rod D rests upon the strop. When the
apparatus is moved longitudinally on the strop in the direction of the arrow X¹ Fig. 2,
the arms C are swung to the left and the blade is in the position shown in full lines
in said figure. When the motion of the apparatus is reversed at the end of the
stroke, the arins C are swung in the direction of the arrow X Fig. 2 on account
of the friction between the rod D and the upper surface of the strop J whereby
the blade is reversed as the pinions F and with them the blade-holder G are turned
in the direction of the arrow X Fig. 2. by the rolling movement of the pinions
over the toothed segments. In this manner the blade is automatically reversed
every time the movement of the apparatus is reversed, and the blade is at all times
held in such manner that it traverses behind the apparatus.
In the construction shown in Figs. 3. 4 & 5, the ends of the shanks A' are not
toothed, the pinions F being likewise omitted. In this construction each shank is

page_text: provided with spurs, a, and the blade-holder is provided at each end with a lug, b,
and two arms, d. d of unequal lengths d. being shaped to engage the double
spurs a. a. of one shank A¹ while d' is longer to pass outside of the single spur, a,
of the opposite shank A¹.
Fig. 4 shows the position of the parts when the device is moved in the direction
of the arrow X³. When the direction of the movement is reversed the arms C
swing in the direction of the arrow X³, and as the lugs b, strike against the inner
edges of the spurs a, the said lugs b, are swung in the direction of the arrow X*,
whereby the blade is swung in the direction of the arrow X. The long arms d¹
serve as stops to prevent swinging the edge of the blade too far towards the under
side of the strop; that is, prevent pressing the edge of the blade with too much
force against the strop. With this modified construction the blade is likewise
reversed every time the direction of the movement of the stropping, device is
reversed.
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:-
1. In a razor-stropping device, the combination with a frame having its ends
bent at right angles to the body of the frame, of rocking arms pivoted on said ends
of the frame, a swinging blade-holder pivoted to the free ends of said arms, a rod
connecting the swinging-arms at a point between the pivots of said arms and the
free ends of the arms, and means for swinging the blade-holder by the action of
the ends of the frame on said blade-holder when said arms are rocked, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a razor stropping device, the combination with a U-shaped frame having
segmental slots in its end shanks and projections on the ends of the shanks, of a
rocking-arm pivoted to each end shank, a rod connecting said arms below the
pivots of the arm and passing through the slots in the shanks of the frame, and a
blade-holder pivoted on the free ends of the rocking-arms, and having projections
engaging the end projections of the shaft to swing the blade-holder, substantially
as set forth.
Dated this Twelfth day of May 1894.
ISAAC BECK,
Agent for the Applicant.