Thread: A Simple, Inexpensive and Effective Tool

I have a very nice razor that was given to me by the owner of Hoffritz Cutlery back in the early 1980's. My first wife cut me with it and by the time I got home from the hospital the blood had stained the blade. I put it away then and stayed away from straight shaving until about two years ago when I started the collection all over. I only just found my old Hoffritz razor when we moved last month. The blade was still stained which I was sure I could clean but I didn't want to damage the beautiful gold wash. I tried a pencil eraser (Brits and Canucks call them rubbers) and it worked well, very well. I came up with this easy method to make an eraser bit for my hand held (Dremel type)grinder.
First cut the eraser end off a pencil. Leave about a quarter inch of wood below the metal band:

Then drill a hole in the center of the wood by drilling out the graphite core. The graphite is much softer than the wood so the drill bit will follow it perfectly. I used a 3mm bit. Be careful to stop when the bit hits the rubber. Otherwise you will make a tool that is very good at messing up your razors:

Then just glue the drill bit into the hole. I used thick (gap filling) cyano acrylate:

A drop in the hole, press the bit into the hole and give it a quick shot of accelerator (I love that they came up with accelerator for "instant glue" for those awfuil times when instantaneous is just not fast enough). Mount the tool in the chuck (or appropriate collett) of your Proxxon type machine and use only the tip of the spinning eraser:

And it only cost as much as a cheap drill bit and a pencil!

Brad

have to love the creativity!

Originally Posted by icedog

My first wife cut me with it and by the time I got home from the hospital the blood had stained the blade.

Great tool idea...and an even better beginning to the story!

Sorry man but you post begs the question.

What did you do to make you wife want to shank you?!?

Originally Posted by detroyt

Sorry man but you post begs the question.

What did you do to make you wife want to shank you?!?

He kept taking her pencils.

Good job creating the tool.

Great tip Brad. Did you find any one drill speed better than another?

Originally Posted by icedog

I tried a pencil eraser (Brits and Canucks call them rubbers)

Nope, they are erasers up here (least in my little corner)! I recall one of the Indian guys I went to university with asking me if he could borrow my rubber ... I told him I could get him one but I certainly didn't want it back after he was done with it.

That's very clever and ingenious. I like it!

Great idea
...but whats wrong with the erasers that Proxxon supplies?
I use them all the time.

Thanks Icedog. This has been, WIKIFIED!!!

yeah, forget the tips, I want to know why your ex sliced you.

Red