To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, August Wm. Scheuber, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stropping-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

By means of this invention a razor-blade can be readily secured in and removed from a stropping machine or device and the blade-holder can be kept in proper adjustment or alinement to insure satisfactory stropping of the blade, as set forth in the following specification and claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device or stropping-machine. Fig. 2 is a section along x x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section along y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing a part of the blade-holder, one of its end bearings or supports, the laterally-movable jaw, and the spring-stem by which the latter is operated.

In the drawings is shown a frame comprising what may be called a “base” portion 1, pins or lateral portions 18, and a front or brace portion 19. A handle 2 of suitable construction enables the device to be held during operation. A movable or oscillating bed 3, when swinging or rocking on or about pivot or bearing 4, will actuate or swivel a blade-holder 5 by means of rack 8 and cogs 9. A strop 12 being inserted over the bed 3 and between such bed and the holder 5 over the bed and the strop being held suitably taut and the machine run back and forth, the bed 3 will be rocked to cause swiveling of the holder.

The strop sustainers or sleeves 14 reduce friction or wear, these sleeves being rotatively mounted on the pins or lateral frame portions 18. The frame-front 19 serves to keep the sleeves or pins 18 parallel or properly braced, so that if the device should, for example, be grasped by the sustainers 14 the pins 18 will be kept by brace 19 from being broken or forced out of line or parallelism.

A stop or shoulder 20 on bed 3 can be made to prevent the strop striking the base 1, or such stop or shoulder could be put on one or both sustainers 14 or on both the sustainers and the bed.

By arranging the holder 5 so that it has bearings or supports for both its extremities such holder can be kept in proper adjustment or alinement to insure satisfactory stropping of the blade. In the drawings, for example, the holder 5 is shown as having oppositely-located bearings or supports in the base 1 and front 19, so that the holder is kept in position for properly presenting the blade to the strop. If the holder should be supported or journaled only at base 1, the front or outer end of the holder might be forced out of line.

The main or body portion of the blade-holder is shown trough or gutter shaped for receiving the blade-back and has jaws 21 and 22 for gripping or engaging the blade. One of the jaws—say jaw 22—is shown movable toward and from the other, and by separating or spreading the jaws a blade can be placed or dropped into holder 5. The jaws then being brought together, the joint action of holder-base 5 and of the jaws is to firmly secure or connect the blade to the holder. While the blade can thus be readily secured to the holder, it can at the same time be easily removed, as a separation of the jaws allows the blade to be taken from the holder or trough 5. A ready insertion and removal of the blade is desirable, as it diminishes the risk of cutting or accident when handling the blade.

The jaw 22 is shown with an actuating handle or button 23, whose stem 24 connects with jaw 22. A bearing for the handle or stem 24 is secured to or extended from one end portion of the holder 5. This bearing is shown comprising a bearing part 25 and an enlarged or attaching part 26. The holder 5 is shown with the lugs or parts 27, which clasp or engage the part 26, or other suitable ways for fixing or uniting the bearing to the holder could be employed. The part 25 is journaled in the frame base or front 19 and supports or forms a pivot for the front part of the holder. The pivot or bearing for the rear of the holder is shown at 29 at the base 1. A spring 28 is shown for normally holding jaw 22 to jaw 21; but this spring can be omitted and the jaw or its handle moved by hand in one direction as well as another. The spring 28 if used is conveniently extended or braced in the enlarged bearing portion 26.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—

1. A stropping-machine comprising a blade­holder and a bed for actuating the holder, said holder having bearings or supports for both extremities substantially as described.

2. A blade-holder comprising a main or body portion for the blade-back, and blade-engaging jaws one of which is movable toward and from the other substantially as described.

3. A blade-holder comprising a main or body portion for the blade-back, blade-engaging jaws, and an actuating handle or button for one of the jaws substantially as described.

4. A blade-holder comprising a main or body portion, blade-engaging jaws, a handle or button for one of the jaws, and a bearing for the handle secured to or extended from the holder substantially as described.

5. A stropping-machine having a frame comprising a base portion 1, lateral portions 18 and a front or brace portion 19, and a suitably-actuated blade-holder comprising a main or body portion and jaws, a handle for one of the jaws, and a bearing for the handle secured to or extended from one end portion of the holder, said bearing with the opposite end portion of the holder being journaled or supported by the frame front and base substantially as described.

6. A stropping-machine having a frame comprising a base portion 1, lateral portions 18, and a front or brace portion 19, an oscillating bed, a blade-holder actuated by the bed, and sleeves 14 on the lateral frame portions, said frame-front serving to keep the sleeves parallel or properly braced substantially as described.

7. A stropping-machine comprising a frame-base 1, a bed and a holder actuated by the bed, and a stop 20 to hold the strop clear of the base substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

August Wm. Scheuber.

Witnesses:

Jeremiah Reichard,

E. F. Kastenhuber.