View to Improving their Cutting Edges.
Year: 1885

page_text: View to Improving their Cutting Edges.
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF RAZORS AND
OTHER LIKE SHARP CUTTING INSTRUMENTS WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING THE
""
CUTTING EDGE THEREOF (a communication to me from abroad by Richard
J. Reidy and Arthur Lyon Alexander both of Desterro, Santa Catharina, in the
Empire of Brazil, Civil Engineers) to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the improving the cutting edge of Razors and
other like sharp cutting instruments. On examining the cutting edge of a Razor
through a magnifier, it will be found to consist of a minutely formed saw the teeth
of which lie in even and regular succession. When such instruments are over-
sharpened so as to receive too fine a cutting edge the edge breaks away so soon
as it is brought into contact with the beard or other hard substance to be cut.
Now this invention consists in improving, and increasing the durability of, the
cutting edge of a Razor or like sharp cutting instrument by magnetising to
saturation the blades of such cutting instruments whereby the fine teeth of the
cutting edge are considerably strengthened and mutually support each other. and
the razor will consequently retain its keen edge for a much longer period than a
razor not so treated. The magnetising of the blade may be effected in any con-
venient or well known manner. A soft iron armature can if desired be arranged
in the handle for the purpose of checking or diminishing any loss of magnetism.
Dated this 30th day of April 1885.

page_text: Cutting Instruments and in the Treatment thereof, wICH
View to Improving their Cutting Edges.
a
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Richard J. Reidy
and Arthur Lyon Alexander both of Desterro, Santa Catharina in the Empire of
Brazil Civil Engineers) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object the improving, by increasing the durability of
the cutting edges of Razors and sharp or keen edged cutting instruments of all
kinds. On examining the cutting edge of any sharp cutting instrument such as a
Razor for example through a magnifier it will be found to consist of a minutely
formed saw the teeth of which lie in even and regular succession. When such
instruments are over sharpened so as to receive too fine a cutting edge the edge
breaks away so soon as it is brought into contact with the beard or other hard
substance to be cut.
Now this invention consists in increasing the durability of the cutting edges of
Razors and all other sharp or keen edged cutting instruments by magnetising
to saturation or to any degree below saturation the blades or bodies thereof
whereby the fine teeth of the cutting edge are considerably strengthened and
mutually support each other and the cutting instrument will consequently retain
its keen edge for a much longer period than when not so treated.
With a view to checking or diminishing any loss of the magnetism from the
magnetised blades in that class of sharp cutting instruments wherein the cutting
blade is made to close wholly or partly within a handle such for example as Razors,
pocket knives, lancets, and the like I fix inside the handle of the instrument an
armature or armatures consisting of a bar or bars of soft iron so disposed therein
as to connect the poles of the magnetised blade when in its closed position.
Figure 1 of the drawings annexed is a sectional elevation showing one half or
inner side of the handle of a Razor for example provided with armatures of soft
iron fitted inside the handle for preventing any loss of magnetism from the blade
when treated according to this invention the cutting blade itself being shown in
dotted lines.
Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the handle showing the armatures in
position but with the blade removed.
a is the magnetised blade, b b are two bars or strips of soft iron constituting the
armature inserted into the opposite inner faces of the handle c at any convenient
part thereof so as to be in contact with the front and rear parts de only of the
blade when out of use in its closed position. A single armature only need be
employed on one side of the handle but I prefer to use two disposed one on each
side as shown.

page_text: A similar arrangement is obviously equally applicable for a like purpose to the
handles of pocket knives, lancets, and other keen edged cutting instruments the
blades of which (treated as hereinbefore described) are when not in use closed
wholly or partly within the handle.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. Increasing the durability of the cutting edges of sharp or keen edged cutting
instruments by magnetising to saturation or to any degree below saturation the
blades or bodies thereof.
2. Checking or preventing loss of magnetism from the magnetised blades of
Razors and other like sharp cutting instruments by means of armatures fixed inside
the handles thereof and so disposed as to connect the poles of the blade when
closed within its handle as specified.