Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1898
A communication from THOMAS OSBORNE HOLLAND, of 1426, York Street,
Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, one
of the United States of America, Commercial Traveller.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, in the
County of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 is to produce a razor-strop in which the stropping-surface will be
held under requisite tension at all times, without the employment of means for
stretching or tightening the same, such as are usually employed, and in which
the stropping-surface will yield to the pressure of a razor uniformly and of the
entire width, thereby to bring the strop into operative contact with the edge of
the razor to produce a fine and smooth cutting-edge.
In a razor strop characterized by my invention, I employ a body portion com-
posed of a face-plate, back-plate, and a pivoted handle, in connection with the
usual stropping surfaces. The back-plate may be composed of any suitable
material, possessing requisite strength, lightness, and flexibility, such as wood,
indurated fiber, or vulcanized fiber, preferably the latter, on account of its water-1
resisting qualities, and its non-liability to crack or break. The face-plate is
constructed, preferably, of a piece of sheet metal, although it may be constructed
of other materials, the object of employing a thin sheet of metal being that the
finishing-surface of the strop shall yield to the pressure of the razor and thereby
bring the strop into direct contact with the edge of the razor to produce a fine
and smooth cutting-edge. One end of this strip of metal is bent to form a flange,
which is secured to the back-plate, as by means of rivets or other suitable fasten-
ing-devices. At the other end of the body, are secured two cleats or guides,
extending parallel with the length of the body, and provided with V-shaped
grooves, adapted to be engaged by the handle of the strop. These cleats are
made of any suitable material, preferably of indurated or vulcanized fiber, for
the reasons before-given, and are secured to the back-plate by rivets or the like.
Secured to the upper surface of these cleats is a metal plate operating to give
increased strength to the cleats and to prevent lateral spread of the same, when
the handle is inserted between them. At a point adjacent to the cleats, and
passing through the back- and front-plates is a rivet, which serves to hold the
iwo plates assembled, and, at the same time, allows the front plate to yield, for
the purpose specified. The handle is provided with a plate having an oblong
slut, through which the bolt at the front portion of the body of the strop is passed,
this plate serving as a swivel for the handle, and the handle, at its inner portion,
is formed in cross-section to engage the recesses in the cleats, so that, when
pushed to position, the handle will be securely held. The slotted plate prevents

page_text: separation of the handle from the strop. This plate is secured to the handle at
some distance from its inner end, so that, when the handle is moved to the position
to be pushed in between the plates, the plate on the upper surface of the cleats
will pass between the slotted plate of the handle and the handle proper, and thus
leave the handle free to be seated.
Instead of having the slotted plate rigidly secured to the handle, I may pro-
vide the outer end of this plate with a sleeve to fit on the end of the handle, and
provide that portion of the handle within the sleeve with a circumferential
groove to be engaged by a lug or projection on the sleeve, so that, while
the handle will be free to turn within the sleeve, it cannot, without
removing the lug or projection, be detached therefrom. The handle will be pro-
vided with a threaded extension to engage a threaded block secured between the
front and back plates of the strop, this block to take the place of the cleats, and,
by seating the threaded extension in the block, the handle will be firmly held in
operative position, while the slotted plate will permit of the handle being folded
in between the front and back-plates, in the same manner as in the first form
of strop described, and thus shorten the strop by the length of the handle, thus
to permit the strop to occupy but small space. Instead of having the handle to
fold in between the members of the strop-body, it may be rigid with relation
thereto.
The stropping-surfaces of the respective faces may be of any suitable material,
and, in this instance, the stropping-surface on the back-plate will be of rough
leather or canvas, and on the face-plate of a fine grade of leather, such as is used
in putting the finishing touches to a razor-edge. Instead of the leather or canvas
being attached to the back-plate, a hone may be substituted therefor.
Dated this 14th day of May 1898
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
prevents in Razor-strops.
A communication from THOMAS OSBORNE HOLLAND, of 1426, York Street,
Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, one
of the United States of America, Commercial Traveller.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, in the
County of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 is to provide a razor-strop in which the stropping-surface will be
held under requisite tension at all times without the employment of any means for
stretching or tightening the same, such as are usually employed, and in which
the stropping-surface will yield to the pressure of a razor uniformly and of the
entire width, thereby to bring the strop into direct contact with the edge of the
razor to produce a fine and smooth cutting edge;
Furthermore, to provide a razor-strop adapted to be folded up so as to occupy
but small space; and
Finally, to provide a razor-strop in which the handle, when closed up, will lie
folded within the body of the strop and; when opened, will be held rigidly in
place against lateral or vertical movement.
With these objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and

page_text: combination of parts of a razor-strop, as will be hereinafter fully described and
claimed.
In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in
which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, is illustrated two
forms of embodiment of the invention, although it is to be understood that other
forms of embodiment thereof may be employed without departing from the spirit
of the same, and in these drawings:
Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation, displaying the handle of the strop in
the position it will occupy when the strop is in use;
Figure 2 is a transverse, sectional view, taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking
in the direction of the arrow thereon, showing the disposition of the different
parts of the strop-body;
Figure 3 is a view in plan, showing, more particularly the construction of the
handle;
Figure 4 is a sectional, detail view of a modified form of handle; and
Figure 5 is a view in side elevation, displaying a modified form of strop.
Referring to the drawings and to Figs. 1 to 4 thereof, A designates the back-
plate of the strop, A2 the front-plate, and A³ the handle. The back plate A may
be constructed of any suitable material, such as wood, indurated fiber, or vul-
canized fiber, and the face-plate A² of a strip of spring metal, although other
materials may be used. The face-plate is bent or curved substantially at right-
angles to itself, as shown at a, and then again at right-angles to the portion a,
as shown at 2, to form a flange, to which the back-plate is secured, by means of
rivets or the like, this face-plate being assembled with the back-plate near the
front of the strop, by means of a rivet a³, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.
Secured to the back-plate are two cleats a, of wood, indurated fiber, or vul-
canized fiber, each of these cleats being provided with a V-shaped recess a³, the
function of which will presently appear. Placed upon the top of these cleats is
a sheet of metal a, and through this metal plate, cleats, and back-plate are passed
rivets a, for holding the parts assembled.
The handle A may be constructed of any suitable material, such as any one of
those mentioned, and has secured to it a metallic strip 8, secured near its rear
portion to the handle by rivets . The front portion of this strip is provided
with a slot, through which the rivet a³ is passed to hold the handle and the
strop-body from accidental separation. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1,
the rivet is at the inner ends of the cleats, thus leaving the metal face-plate
free from this rivet outward, so that the strip as will readily slip between the
plate a and the face-plate A2, when the handle is moved in the direction indicated
by the arrow in Fig. 3, to bring the handle into alinement with the long diameter
of the strop-body. The handle is then slipped in between the cleats, and, in order
that the engagement between these parts shall be an effective one, that portion
of the. handle which engages with the cleats is bevelled on each side, as shown in
Fig. 2, to effect a firm and stable connection. As the handle is pushed in quite
a distance between the cleats, it is necessary that the rivets for holding the strip as
in the handle shall be sufficiently removed from the end of the handle to permit
of the plate a passing between the strip and the handle A3, thus allowing the
handle to be moved in a sufficient distance to effect its proper securement in place.
The face-plate may be provided with a suitable stropping surface a¹, preferably
of soft leather, which, by reason of the resilient face-plate, will yield to the
pressure of the razor and thereby give the same a smooth and finished edge.
The back-plate may be provided with a rougher stropping surface a¹², such as
coarse leather or canvas, or, if preferred, a hone may, in some instances, be sub-
stituted for the surface a12
Instead of bending the end of the face-plate in the manner described, a block a¹³,
indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, may be employed for the purpose of holding
the face- and back-plates separated at the proper distance apart, and, when this

page_text: construction is adopted, rivets may be passed through the two plates and through
this block to hold the parts assembled.
It is to be understood that my correspondent does not limit himself to the
precise manner of bending the face-plate so as to bring it to a position where it
may be secured to the back-plate, as it may be either an angular bend or a curve,
as may be found preferable.
It is also to be understood that, instead of employing a slotted plate secured to the
handle, a plate a¹ may be employed swivelled at its inner end on the rivet a³,
and provided at its outer end with a screw or lug a to engage with a slot a¹6 in
the handle. The handle will be provided with a threaded extension a¹? for engag-
ing a threaded opening 18 in a block a, which will take the place of the cleats.
It will be seen that by this arrangement longitudinal movement of the handle
with relation to the strop-body, can be effected.
It is also to be understood that the edges of the cleats may be rounded, in any
suitable manner, to prevent interference between the plate and the cleats, when
the handle is moved laterally, to bring it into position to be pushed between the
cleats; and, also, that the plate as may be only as long as the cleats, or may be
projected beyond the same and have its inner end slightly bent down, so as to
form a guide to direct the handle-strip as to position between the face-plate and
the plate a
It is further to be understood that suitable means may be employed for prevent-
ing the handle from swinging out of the body of the strop, when not desired, as
a stop, or a spring in the handle to bear against either the inner surface of the
back or the face-plate; and that a handle constructed and operated as described,
may be adapted for use in connection with a brush, or with any other suitable
article where its use would be advantageous.
It is still further to be understood that where the face-plate A2 is made of metal,
its exposed edges may be covered with hard leather, for the purpose of presenting
a neat and finished appearance, and also to prevent injury to the razor, should the
same cut through the stropping surface.
In Fig. 5, is shown an embodiment of the invention, in which the same
general characteristics of the strop are employed, the difference being that, instead
of having the handle fold within the strop-body, the handle is rigid with relation
thereto. This latter form of strop will be found highly useful for use by barbers,
wherein a rigid structure is preferable, whereas, the form illustrated in Figs. 1
to 4, inclusive, is adapted, more particularly, for use of traveling men, as, by the
peculiar arrangement of this first-described form of the invention, the strop may
be folded up to occupy but a small space in a valise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A razor-strop constructed substantially as herein shown and described.
2. A razor-strop having a permanently-pivoted handle movable laterally and
longitudinally of the strop-body, substantially as described.
3. A razor-strop having its body portion provided with a recess, in combina-
tion with a permanently-pivoted handle adapted to be moved into engagement
with the recess and to be held firmly in place therein by frictional contact with
the walls of the recess, substantially as described.
4. A razor-strop comprising a back- and a front-plate provided with suitable
stropping-surfaces, cleats secured to the back-plate, a handle provided with a
slotted plate, and a rivet for holding the back- and front-plates assembled and
passing through the slot of the handle-plate, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
5. A razor-strop comprising a rigid back-plate and a resilient front-plate, the
two plates being provided with suitable stropping-surfaces, one end of the
front-plate being bent to form a flange by which it is secured to the back-plate,

page_text: a rivet securing the other end of the face-plate and back-plate together, cleats
secured to the back-plate, and a handle provided with a slotted plate, the plate
being held against separation from the strop-body by means of the said rivet,
substantially as described.
6. A razor-strop, comprising a front- and a back-plate, cleats secured to the
back-plate, a rivet for holding the front- and back-plates assembled, said rivet
being located adjacent to the inner ends of the cleats, thereby leaving a clear
space between the cleats and the face-plate, a reinforcing-plate secured to the
cleats beneath the face-plate, a handle having a slotted plate held in place by
the said rivet, the handle being adapted to be pushed between the cleats, whereby
to be held firmly in place for use, substantially as described.
7. A razor-strop comprising a handle, a rigid back-plate secured to the handle
and provided with a suitable stropping-surface, a resilient, metallic front-plate
secured at one end to the handle, and having its other end bent or curved to form
a flange to be secured to the under side of the back-plate, thereby leaving a
clear space, practically the entire length of the body of the strop, in which to
permit the front-plate to yield, and a stropping-surface secured to the resilient
front-plate, substantially as described.
1
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1
W
1900
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.