To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John A. Butler, of Southington, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Holders for Stropping Safety-Razors; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in—

Figure 1, a plan view, partially in section, of a holder for stropping safety-razors constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a broken sectional view of one end of the plate, one of the arms, and its finger; Fig. 3, an end view showing the device in the position for stropping in one direction, and Fig. 4 a similar view showing the device in position for stropping in the other direction; Fig. 5, a broken view, partially in section, of the plate, shank, operating-shaft, and handle; Fig. 6, a sectional view through the shank and handle.

This invention relates to an improvement in holders for stropping safety-razors, the object being a simple construction whereby the blade is positively turned by the reverse movement of the holder; and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claims.

As herein shown, the device consists of a plate A, formed with a shank B, to which the handle C is attached, and at opposite ends, which are upwardly bowed, with hollow posts D E. Each of these posts receives the pintle F of arms G, which carry fingers H, the said fingers extending outward at right angles to the arms in planes parallel with the pintles F. The opposite ends of the arms are also provided with hubs I, and these hubs are connected by a yoke J, which is downwardly bowed, and formed with a rack K, the teeth of which mesh with a pinion L, fixed to a shaft M, which is supported by the shank B, through which it extends, the said shaft being adapted to receive the usual blade-holder N. As a convenient means for attaching the handle to the shank I form the shank with a groove b and the end of the handle with an inwardly-projecting rib c, adapted to enter the groove, the handle closely fitting the shank, so as to be held thereon by friction.

Preferably and in order to hold the parts in position ready for operation I employ a spring O, which is connected with one of the pintles F and with the shank B, the tendency being to throw the fingers to one side, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the under faces of the fingers H will be cross-hatched or otherwise roughened or coated, so as to better engage with the strop.

The operation of the device is apparent without full description. The movement of the holder back and forth upon the strop causes the fingers to rock the arms G, which, through the rack K, turns the pinion L and reverses the position of the blade from that shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, and the return movement reverses the position, so that the blade is properly presented to the strop. This action of the holder is positive, and the construction is simple, the number of gears and parts being reduced to the minimum.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—

1. In a holder for stropping safety-razors, comprising a plate, arms pivotally mounted at opposite ends of said plate and formed with outwardly-projecting fingers, a centrally-arranged shaft mounted in the said plate, and a yoke connecting the outer ends of said arms, and formed with a rack in engagement with a pinion mounted on said shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a holder for stropping safety-razors comprising a plate, a rearwardly-extending shank, posts at the opposite ends of said plate, arms pivotally mounted in the said posts and formed with outwardly-projecting fingers, the outer ends of said arms connected by a bowed yoke having rack-teeth, a shaft mounted in the said shank and carrying a pinion for engagement with the teeth of said yoke, and a razor-holder carried by the said shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a holder for stropping safety-razors comprising a plate, a rearwardly-extending shank, posts at the opposite ends of said plate, arms pivotally mounted in the said posts and formed with outwardly-projecting fingers, the outer ends of said arms connected by a bowed yoke having rack-teeth, a shaft mounted in the said shank and carrying a pinion for engagement with the teeth of said yoke, a razor-holder carried by the said shaft, and a spring to return said arms to their normal position.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

John A. Butler.

Witnesses:

Frederic C. Earle,

Lillian D. Kelsey.