Thread: A Razor Holding Fixture

Group that has given me so much,

I am finally giving back to the forums. I am about to start a restore on an old ERN 1720 Crown and Sword. After reading all of your posts and ideas, I came up with this fixture.

I started with a piece of 4 X 4 cut to 9" in length. I installed two 1/2" dowels. I took a piece of 3/16"T, 4"W and 9"L aluminum and drilled two 1/2" holes so you can set set the aluminum on the dowels in the 4 X 4.

Then you take some clay, I used air dry , but you would use the clay that you bake in the oven for 20 min at 230 degrees to harden it (craft store was out). and add a layer about 3/4" think to the whole aluminum plate. Then put a piece of plastic wrap over top of the clay.

Next I put three 1/4" x 1/4" magnets on eah side of the blade and firmly pushed the razor into the clay. Once on the right side and once on the left side. Then I pealed off the plastic wrap. At this point, you strip the aluminum platten of of the dowels and bake it in the oven to harden.

Once hard, you put the platen and clay mould back on the dowels, use some super glue to glue the magnets into the clay, and you use the jig.

Benefits:
Custom mould that fits the blade perfectly. It is supported completely. If you push the edge and toe into clay below the surface, you can then come back and shape an exposure as you need it. You can set the jig on a table or clamp in a vice.

The total cost was about $6.00, and at about $2.00 per razor to make a new mould, I think it's well worth it to work safely on a fully supported blade.

Pics are blow.

Let me know what you think and any improvement suggestions.

David.

Very nice, simple idea.
Thanks for pictures.
Thanks for sharing.

Deckard

Brilliant!


Charlie

Great idea! Should work great for hand sanding.

Great idea !

One question though: when you bake the clay, doesn't it shrink ? I know that regular clay when properly baked (>= 700°C) does shrink a little. I don't know whether it does so at 230°.

* edit: rereading it, I see you used air-dry clay, not regular "potter clay". That may explain it ... *

Originally Posted by decraew

Great idea !

One question though: when you bake the clay, doesn't it shrink ? I know that regular clay when properly baked (>= 700°C) does shrink a little. I don't know whether it does so at 230°.

* edit: rereading it, I see you used air-dry clay, not regular "potter clay". That may explain it ... *

Thanks for the question. I designed it to be baked, that's why there is an aluminum platten on the pins. Now, I have not yet used it with the baked clay, which is a polymer caly called Sculpey. According to Sculpey, it will not shrink during curing.

As I said in the post, Michael's was out of Sculpey, and I wanted to try this idea out, so I got the air harden clay. I will post more as I use the jig.

David

Group,

Clay hardened ovenight. Still a tad soft but not enough that it is not usable. This thing is working great.

David

That's a great idea! Well done!