US1975284A - Razor blade hone - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1934. J. R OPPENHEIMER 1,975,284

RAZOR BLADE HONE' Filed March 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

Patented Oct. 2, 1934 isvszsi RAZOR BLADE noun Julius L. Oppenheimer, Bridgeport, ctini. Application March 14;'19 3-1,- Serial No. 522,570

" a razor blade, and one with which practically all types of safety razor blades may be sharpened. Another object is t6 providea sharpening device which may be manuiaeture'd and sold at relatively low cost, and willbe effective for a long time.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, a I blades, are however, as a rule so thin andfle'xiblei the invention consists in certain. novel features of construction of a device for honing safety razor blades, and an improved method of honing these blades as will be more fully disclosed in connection with the accompanying drawings. In these drawings: a Fig'. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of 1iiydevice;' v v '25 Fig.2 is a; side elevation thereof;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are longitudinal sections subst'antially on lines 33', 4-4 and 5-5 respec tively Of Fig. 1; a

v Fig. 6 is an end view of'the device in Fig. l; $0 Figs. 7 and 8 are t'ransv'er'se sections susstsn: tially on lines 7+7 and line 8-8 respectively. of Fig. l; 7

Figs.- 9 and 10 are transverse sections substan-.

tiallyonlirie 9-9 of Fig. l, but showing how the blade can be sharpened by use either direction on the hone; A V

Fig; 11 is a partial section and partialend elevation of the hone reversed showing how it may be used for sharpening a blade having a single 4 cutting edge; and with abound rear edge;

Figs. 12 and 13 show how the device may be employed as a detachable separate element for use with the'main block for'finishing purposesj Figs. l4 and 15 are longitudinal and transverse central lsections showing "modified sharpening surfacesjl i'g l4"b'eing" a section longitudinally on line l=l"14 of Fig. 15, and Fig- 15 being a? section transversely line 15-45 of Fig. 14f 5"0 modification, the plane of section being indicated in each case by the correspondingly numbered lines;

"Figs. l6 'andlll7 are similar sections-of another 7 Figs. 18 to'2 3 are lon'gitudinal and transverse SC ti6 XYS of thredlffer llt modificilllfis the SE6 7 claims. (cl. 51-2111 ti'ons being taken on the similarly numbered lines of the various figures;

Fig. 24 is a top plan View of still another modi fi'catiomand M l Figs. 25 and 26 are transversese'ctions substanso" tially on lines 25 and 26 respectively of Fig. 24.

As is well known the usual safety razor blades are made of very thin steel, and they are made either with single or double cutting edges. Due to their construction and shape it is difficult to properly sharpen and hone these blades when they become dulled in use, and therefore it is common practice to throw them away after being used two or three times. This practice is of course expensive and it is wasteful, because the blades can] be honed or resharpened. These that it iS difficult to h'bld them uniformly against the sharpening surface, and therefore it will be evident that under these circumstances the blade will not be uniformly sharpened, but for a given honing certain portions of the edge will be more. thoroughly honedthan others. This is particu larlytrue of the very thin blades now found on the market, in which unless'firml'y c amped, the st cutting edges are warped laterally. I y Y I have, however, discovered that if the blades are flexedlongitudinally, that is, the cutting edge is curved laterally to the plane of the blade, then this cutting edge is stiffened and helduniforin 35' throughout- Therefore, it will be evident that if the blade is honed when in this condition the edge or edges can. be uniformly sharpened throughout the entire length of these" cutting edges.

Thus the gist of the present invention is the sharpeningor honing of the blade edge or edges while they are flexed longitudinally and laterally. of the plane of the blade so that the blade is honed. whi'le the cutting edge is curved la'terally to giv' it strength and stiffnessand the ,bevel for the entire length of the cutting edge is held onthe Y surface of the hone with uniform pressure, thus giving a; uniform honing at all points of the edge.

This can be most effectively and easily secured by means ofa" surface having a combination of curves, that is the surface curves in one direction soas to fitor properly engage" the bevel or bevels'j; at the sides of the cutting e'd'g'eforthe sharpen ing effect; which curve is there ore transverselyl0 of the blade, and then the surface is also curved lOngitudinally 0f the blade so that when fllblad is pressed against the surface to bring the bevel in engagement therewith, the blade is fle'iiedlon m gitudi'nally, that is" the cutting edge is curved 1st:

indicated in dotted lines 29, although, of course,

erally to the plane of the blade so that it is given increased strength and stiffness because of this flexing to remove the warping of the blade at the cutting edge, and it will engage the honing surface with uniform pressure throughout the entire length of the cutting edge. It will therefore be obvious it will be uniformly honed or sharpened throughout the entire length of the blade.

This effect can be secured in a great number of difierent ways. I have illustrated in the drawings a number of ways of securing these results to give a comprehensive idea of how this improved honing may be secured. Referring first to Figs. 1 to 10 my improved hone or sharpening device comprises a body member 26 of any suitable material for honing or sharpening the edges of the razor blade. Thus for example, it may be of natural oil or water, stone, artificial stone such as carborundum or it may be of other materials such as glass, and it is shown in these figures as being of a slab or block of this material, although other shapes may be used if desired. As a matter of fact it may be of any shape or size for best handling and convenience to secure the honing or sharpening of the blade in the manner in Figs. 6 to 10. These curves may be the same or on the same radii but they are preferably different or on different radii. Thus as indicated in Fig. 1 with the longer blade 28 in sharpening position'it may be placed as indicated in full lines, and if a shorter blade it may be turned at right angles as the shorterblade may be sharpened in a longitudinal position the same as blade 28. Thus for example, for the blade 28 in the position shown,

the surface 27 should be curved transversely so as to engage the bevels 30 adjacent the cutting edges 31 as indicated in Fig. 9. If all the blades were sharpened in this position the surface could be curved longitudinally in practically anyway desired so long as it flexed the cutting edges of the blade longitudinally as indicated in Fig. 4.

In this specific illustration, however, I have shown the surface 27 as curved both transversely and longitudinally to engage or fit the bevels for the proper sharpening of the cutting edges so that the blade can be honed in either position, and

the two curvatures longitudinally and transversely can be the same or they can be different so that the transverse curvature may fit the bevel of one make of blade, while the longitudinal curva--v ture is such as to fit or engage the bevel of another malre of blade. But it is to be distinctly understood that in either case the sharpening surface 27 is so shaped in one direction as to bevels on the blade for proper sharpto flex or curve the blade longitudinally, that is to bend the blade laterally to the plane of the blade as indicated in Fig. 4.

In use the surface 27 may be moistened as for example 'withwater, lather or oil, etc. depending upon the material of which the device is made, and then the blade to be sharpened is placed on the surface, either in the full line or the dotted line positions of Fig. l as shown. If it is in the full line position the user places his fingers on the top of the blade and then presses downwardly on it. This brings the bevel for the entire length of the cutting edges against the surface 27. As the blades are much longer than their width they will remain substantially flat in the transverse plane as shown in Fig. 9 so that the cutting edges are in contact with the surface 27, that is the bevels will rest on the surface, and as the blade is moved over the surface this bevel will be ground off to give the sharpening effect. This pressure, however, on the top of the blade will flex it downwardly in the center as indicated in Fig. 4 so that is is curved longitudinally in a direction laterally to the plane of the blade. It will be evident therefore that the cutting edges are correspondingly curved as they engage the. surface 27, and they therefore engage this surface throughout the entire length of the blade. This curving of the edge of the blade and the portion of the blade adjacent thereto stiffens and strengthens this edge and adjacent portions so that the edge and bevel rest with uniform pressure throughout their entire lengths on the sharpening surface 27. Also the curving of the body of the blade stiffens the blade so that it'assists in stiffening the edge portions. The operator now can shift the blade transversely back and forth as indicated by the arrows 32 Figs. 1 and 9 very quickly giving a thorough and uniform sharpening to both edges of the blade simultaneously, and forming the minute teeth in such a way as to give the best cutting edge. After one side is sharpened the blade is merely turned over and the sameoperation performed on the other side. If the blade is placed transversely as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1, then it is shifted backwardly and forwardly as indicated by the dotted arrows 33 and the blade will be curved longitudinally as indicated in Fig. 10.

In this form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 10, the

surface 27 is so formed that the curvature at the top of any longitudinal section is on the same radius. Thus in each of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 the curvatures indicated at 27, which is the intersecin the transverse sections of Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are all the same radius. This is the preferred construction because in the lateral movements of the blade on the curved surface during the sharpening operation there is no change in the. curvature, and therefore there is no change in the curvature of the blade or the engagement of the bevels on the sharpening surface in any position. However, the desired effect of uniform honing throughout the entire length of the cutting edge can be secured if these curvatures vary as will be more fully described in connection with other figures of the drawings.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 11 the block may be double, that is, it may have one surface on the top and another surface on the bottom, the specific combination shown comprises on the bottom a surface more particularly designed for sharpening or honing the singleedge blade indicated at 3 Fig. 11, having one edge bound in a U-shape clip 35. It will this type of blade, the whole blade can not be readily flexed longitudinally. I have, therefore, provided two oppositely inclined surfaces 36 which may be either convex or concave, those illustrated being convex so as to give a hollow ground or convex bevel on the razor blade. These surfaces 36 are curved longitudinally either concave or convex preferably concave, as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, or they can be straight for use in sharpening '5 thicker or heavier blades which would notne'ed flexing longitudinally. These two surfaces 36 are separated at the center by a convex rib 37 extending longitudinally, but straight in the longitudinal direction. Thus the rib 37 provides a guide for the bound andstiffened edge of the blade asv indicated in Fig.11, while the bevel adjacent the cutting edge rests on one of the surfaces 36, and by pressing down on the blade the cutting edge 38. is curved longitudinally to fit the longitudinal curvature of the surface 36 as indicated, while the bound edge or back may remain straight. Thus the effect of stiffening and strengthening the cutting edge of this single edge blade with the stiffened back edge is secured in 2i) the same manner as is secured with the double edgeblade on the top surface 27. The blade may be honed by shifting longitudinally on the body, but a better result is secured by shifting it in short strokes transversely as indicated by the 251 arrows 39 in Fig. 11, as this provides the edge with the microscopic teeth desired for the best cutting effect. This double surface may also be used for sharpening the double edged blade by simply placing the blade so that the two bevels engage the two surfaces 36.

In Figs. 12 and 13 is shown how a single device may be used for giving two different effects, that is, the body 26 may be the same as that in Fig. 1, and of any suitable material such as natural stone or carborundum, and then a separate element may be shaped of some different material, such for example as glass. This element 40 is made comparatively thin and curved on the bottom surface 41 to fit the top surface 27 of the I'D-"block 26, while the top surface 42 of the block 40 may be of the same or different surface material as the surface 27. Thus, the block 26 and member 40 can be sold in nested relation as shown in Fig. 13, or they can be sold as sepaffii'grate elements. If used in combination the element 40 can be removed and the blade given a first sharpening on the surface 27 of the block 26, and then the element 40 can be placed in the dotted line position, and the blade given a fin- 5or ishing sharpening on the element 40.

The showings of Figs. 14 to 26 indicate various modifications that can be used. Thus the sharpening surface need not be curved or arched or even on a continuous curvature of the same rafifirg dius, but the curvatures may vary. Thus as shown in Figs. 14 and 15 the central portion at 43 may be quite a sharp curve and toward the higher parts of the surface as indicated at 44 and the curvature may be on a considerably larger eee radius, or they may vary continuously.

In Figs. 16 and 1'7 is shown how the double concave surface can be used to hone a single edged blade 34 with the opposite edge bound by a U- shaped clip 35. Here the surface 44, 45 is curved longitudinally sufficient to permit the bevel of the cutting edge to engage the surface as shown in Fig. 16 when the binding clip 35 engages the honing surface. This surface is curved in the opposite direction, or longitudinally of the blade 7x3; with a relatively small curvature as shown in Fig. 17. Thus although the clip 35 does not flex longitudinally of the blade the cutting edge and portion of the blade adjacent thereto is flexed longitudinally, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, sufii- 7'51 ciently to give the desired strengthening and stiffening of the cutting edge and portions adjacent thereto to give uniform honing throughout its entire length, the same as in the other forms for the double edged blade.

In Figs; 18 and 19 is shown how either or both sides may be raised as indicated at 46 to retain water or oil on the surface. It is not even necessary that the sharpening surface be curved in both directions. Thus in Figs. 20 and 21 the sharpening surface includes two sides 51 which are straight or flat in the transverse directions, but inclined in opposite direct-ions so as to engage the bevels of the blade; but in the longitudinal direction, they are curved as indicated in Fig. 26 to cause the longitudinal 9?) flexing of the blade in a direction laterally of the plane thereof to give the stiffening and strengthening effect above described.

Furthermore, it is not necessary that both curvatures be concave curvatures;.in Figs. 1 to 11 it is shown how the surfaces 36 can be convex togive a concave or hollow ground effect to thebevels of the cutting edges. In Figs. 22 and 23 is illustrated how the blade can be curvedlongi-i tudinally by a convex curve. Thus in this figure, the block or body member has a top surface 47 concaved transversely as indicated at 43 to properly engage the bevels of the blade 48, but this surface is convex in the longitudinal direction as indicated in Fig. 22. This convex curvature flexes the blade longitudinally during the sharpening operation to give the stiffening and strengthening effect for uniform honing throughout the entire length of the cutting edges, the same as if this surface was concave in this direction. The double concave surfaces are preferred, however, as these surfaces retain the water, lather, oil or other moistening material so that it will not run off of the surface of the hone during the honing operation.

In Figs. 24, 25 and 26 is shown a body member 49 in which the sharpening surface 50 is a part of a spherical surface and will thus be curved similarly in all directions. In this device, however, the surface must be curved to properly engage the bevels to give the desired sharpening effect, and the same curvature longitudinally of the blade will also give the desired longitudinal flexing to produce the stiffening and strengthening effect for uniform sharpening of the cutting edges throughout their entire lengths.

It will be evident that other specific arrangements of the surfaces and shapes of the body member may be used so long as the sharpening surface is so shaped as to engage the bevel or bevels at the cutting edge or edges to give the desired sharpening effect, and at the same time, the blade is flexed longitudinally or that is the cutting edge or edges is or are curved laterally to the plane of the blade to stiffen or strengthen this edge or edges to give a uniform sharpening effect throughout the entire length of the edge.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. A sharpening device for safety razor blades comprising a body having two oppositely inclined convex surfaces to engage the bevels at the cutting edges of the blade when it is in sharpening position, said surfaces being concaved longitudinally so that when pressure is applied to the blade to bring it to sharpening position the edges of the blade are flexed longitudinally.

2. The method of honing a safety razor blade which consists in placing the blade on a honing m. surface concaved both transversely and longitu- 150 dinally of the blade applying pressure to the blade to flex it longitudinally in a lateral directionto bring the beveled surfaces adjacent the cutting edges against the honing surface for their entire lengths, and then shifting the blade on the honing surface in a direction transversely of the blade.

3. The method of honing a safety razor blade which consists in applying pressure on the blade and shifting the blade transversely on a surface of a material capable of putting a shaving edge on the blade shaped to engage the bevel at the cutting edge of the blade and also curved longitudinally of the blade so that with pressure applied to the blade the cutting edge is flexed longitudinally in a direction laterally of the plane of the blade by the pressure of the blade against the surface.

4. The method of honing a safety razor blade which consists in applying pressure on the blade While on a surface of a material capable of putting a shaving edge on the blade shaped to engage the bevel at the cutting edge of the blade and alsocurved longitudinally of the blade so that with pressure applied to the blade the cutting edge is flexed longitudinally in a direction laterally of the plane of the blade by pressure of the blade against the surface, and then causing relative movement between the blade and the surface in a direction transversely of the blade While it is so flexed.

5. The method for sharpening a blade that consists in curving the blade lengthwise of its edge and also in a direction transverse of said edge, and then efiecting a frictional action between the blade and a sharpening surface. s

6. The method for sharpening a flexible blade that consists in applying the blade to a spherical concaved surface to flex said blade in lateral directions, and then rubbing the blade against such surface.

7. The method for sharpening a flexible blade that consists in applying the blade to a surface concaved in all directions to flex said blade in lateral directions, and then rubbing the blade against such surface.

JULIUS P. L. OPPENHEIMER.

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