To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Francis Francis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Razor-Stropping Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for stropping or honing razors; and it has for one object to provide a device of this nature which is particularly adapted for use in sharpening the blade of a so-called “safety-razor” and in the operation of which the blade will be presented first one side and then the other side to the strop or hone.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the blade will be held at a proper angle to the direction of movement of the blade, as is usual in hand manipulation, to secure a most efficient sharpening.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the stropping device with the razor-blade held in its normal position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device with a portion of the casing removed to show the interior construction thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the link which connects the blade-carrying lever with the operating-fingers.

Referring now to the drawings, the stropping device, which is designed for use in connection with any common form of strop or hone, consists of a body portion 5 in the form of a hollow casing and to which is attached a handle 6, through the medium of which the device is manipulated.

In the wall of the casing 5, opposite to the handle, there are formed openings 8 and 9, spaced equally, and of which the opening 9 is midway of the ends of the casing. A block 10 is pivotally mounted upon the bottom of the casing and adjacent to the opening 8, and this block has a journal 11 thereon, which receives the shaft 12, which carries the blade to be sharpened. The blade 13 is engaged in the longitudinal groove 14 of a tube 15, the split end of which is sprung over the end of the shaft, as shown, to hold the blade in proper position upon the shaft.

Passed through each of the openings is a finger 16 and 17, respectively, which fingers are pivoted to the bottom of the casing adjacent to the openings, and the inner ends of these fingers have a halved connection with the ends of a link 18, which is of such length as to hold the fingers parallel. The fingers have pivotal connection with the link and are held thereby parallel at all points of their pivotal movement.

Midway of the ends of the link, in the thickened portion 19 thereof, is formed a bearing 20, which receives the end of shaft 12 rotatably, and fixed upon said shaft between the link and the pivoted block 10 is a beveled pinion 21, which meshes with a rack 22 on the bottom of the casing 5, the pinion 21 being fixed to the shaft, whereby as the block 10 is moved pivotally to correspondingly move the shaft the shaft will be rotated first one way and then the other, in accordance with the direction of pivotal movement of the block, and as the shaft is connected with the fingers by the link if either of the fingers be pivotally moved the shaft will be operated in the manner described.

Helical springs 25 are connected at one end with the inner pivoted ends of the fingers 16 and 17, their opposite ends being connected with the ends of the rack 22, these springs being normally under tension to hold the fingers and shaft projected at right angles to the casing 5 and with the razor-blade projecting upwardly at right angles to the plane of the casing.

The fingers 16 and 17 are provided with rubber casings 26, and in the operation of the device the casings are brought to lie flat upon the strop or hone, when by moving the device laterally the friction between the casings of the fingers and the strop or hone causes the fingers to drag and assume the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the pivotal movement of the fingers to this position acting to rotate the shaft to move the razor-blade against the strop or hone so that it may be dragged thereover. At the same time the position of the blade upon the strop or hone is the same as that usually given to a razor-blade, so that the blade is properly set when the sharpening operation is completed. When the device is moved in the opposite direction, the fingers are pivotally moved to extend in an opposite direction, this movement of the fingers being contributed to the shaft, which is at the same time given a reverse rotation to hold the blade at the proper slant in this return movement thereof. It will be thus seen that as the device is reciprocated in contact with a strop the blade is automatically oscillated, and at the same time it is held at the proper angle to the strop, the result being an efficient operation.

It will of course be understood that in practice various modifications of the specific construction shown may be made and that any suitable materials and proportions may be used for the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is—

1. A device of the class described comprising a pivoted blade-holder, separately-pivoted fingers adapted for swinging movement, and connections between the blade-holder and the fingers for swinging of one by another when reciprocated in contact with a stropping-surface.

2. A device of the class described comprising a body portion having a blade-holder pivoted thereto and mounted for oscillation, fingers pivoted to the body portion and having connection with the holder to move it when the fingers are pivotally moved, and connections between the holder and body for oscillating the holder when it is pivotally moved.

3. A device of the class described comprising a body portion, an oscillatory and pivoted blade-holder carried by the body, pivoted fingers connected with the holder to move it pivotally when the fingers are correspondingly moved, and means operable by the fingers for oscillating the holder.

4. A device of the class described comprising a body portion having a fixed handle, a rotatable blade-holder pivotally mounted upon the body portion, a pinion upon the holder, a rack upon the body and with which the pinion is engaged, and fingers pivoted to the body portion and having movable connections with the holder to move it pivotally and operate the rack and pinion to oscillate the holder.

5. A device of the class described comprising a body portion having a handle, a rotatable blade-holder pivoted to the body portion and carrying a pinion, a rack upon the body and with which the pinion is engaged, a finger pivoted at each side of the holder, a link connecting the holder and the fingers, and springs connected with the fingers and body to hold the fingers and holder normally in a predetermined position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

Francis Francis.

Witnesses:

Fred Ditzen,

Josef Walheim.