Razor Blades

Why can't we find sharp razor blades to cut wet silk span??
You take a NEW UNUSED BLADE and your first cut tares the wet paper?!
In yesteryear Wilkinson brand were so good. Now all we have is old OLY and Heidelberg cans.
WHAT is everyone using?
Scott(guess I'll try Blitz)Riese

Have you tried plate glass and sandpaper? You don't even have to glue the sandpaper down, just soak it in water and it'll stick OK. I sometimes use Rubber Cement if the sandpaper is curled.

Cut three or four smallish pieces of sandpaper, say 3" x 4") in 1000 (or 1200), 1500 and 2000 grits and stick 'em to the glass by either of the above methods. I use water as a cutting fluid 'cause I'm lazy. Oil is better, but messier.

Gently strop the blades (the cutting edge trails) about 3-4 times on each side on each progressively finer grade of sandpaper. By the time you're done, you should be able to cut wet Jap tissue! After the first sharpening, you'll find that just a few strokes on the finest grit will keep the blade sharp enough for quite a while. Occasionally you'll have to start over.

This works quite well for #11 blades, too, and you only need to hone the last 1/4" of the tip.

Do you remember the Edjer sharpener for #11 Xacto blades. Wish I could find them plus the xtra fine stones and diamond hones. A lacquer thinner dunk really messed mine up.

>Do you remember the Edjer sharpener for #11 Xacto blades.
>Wish I could find them plus the xtra fine stones and diamond
>hones. A lacquer thinner dunk really messed mine up.

Yeah, they work quite well. I bought two with several spare diamond stones at the Pasadena Hobby Show, probably in the mid-80s. Haven't located them since the last move . . .

I saw these listed in some catalog just recently; I'll check. Here's a listing for the company:

EDJER COMPANY
Box 1775
1971 Tamarack Ln
Hemet, CA 92546
(909)925-2344
[email protected]

In the meantime, check the 3rd item down on this page:

http://www.geocities.com/budb3/arts/meth/sharp.html

The "Sharpy" works quite well and is much less "fussy" than the sandpaper on glass; I didn't know these were still available.

Here's a simple trick for cutting things which don't like to be cut, say 1/2 oz fiberglass cloth, using a regular razor blade or #11 Exacto. Lay the material on 4 or more layers of regular news print and cut it. You will see that it cuts amazingly easily and clean.

I saw this trick in one of Windy's videos.

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"If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it." -Marcus Aurelius

I have been very tempted to buy some of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31764&item=5539817642&rd=1

Has anyone tried them? We also do a little FF stick and tissue work. Might be good there.

THAT'S THEM!!!!!!THANK YOU

>Here's a simple trick for cutting things which don't like to
>be cut, say 1/2 oz fiberglass cloth, using a regular razor
>blade or #11 Exacto. Lay the material on 4 or more layers of
>regular news print and cut it. You will see that it cuts
>amazingly easily and clean.
>
>I saw this trick in one of Windy's videos.
>
>[photo not recovered: 3e69bb3870f12ad5.jpg]
>
>"If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not
>say it." -Marcus Aurelius

SAME...

Might try http://www.timgoldstein.com/secure/eStore/
Click on "tools" and look towards the bottom.
Old double-edged carbon-steel razor blades.
Ought to be pretty nice.

Try your local body shop supply store. They have usually got some that work well.

Find a store that sells to wall paper cotractors not Home Depot. They have the very very sharp ones .Be careful as they are extra sharp.
Look in the phone book for Wallpaper, Painter contractor suplies. Some times Sherwin Williams will have them. Ask for them as they will not be on display.Once you use them you will never go back. Some brands are stainless.
Ed I used to own a wallpapering co and bought there blades 5,000 at a time.

If you want some of the old carbon steel blades go to e-bay and type in razor blades. There is a whole bunch of collector blades but you will sometimes see a brick of the more common types. I got 500? guilette thins for $20. These are nice because you can snap them to a point.

The Candidius carbon steel double edge razor blades that Tim Goldstein sells are terrific, meaning that they are very sharp and they hold an edge much longer than most other blades. They are sharp enough to trim 0.9 micron plastic film on flying surfaces of indoor duration planes (provided the edge does not get coated with undried adhesive and hang up).
An alternative is the scalpel and #11 blades that Tim also sells. For cutting balsa up to about 1/16" - - for example, ribs - - they are great. And for cutting prop blades for an EZB from .007 C-grain balsa there really is nothing better.

Hi, everyone. My, 12 posts and nobody mentioned the best.
TESTORS! #11, black. LHS. Affordable. REALLY sharp, cuts wet silkspan like an Uber Skiver Scalpel.

Try just normal double edge disposables, break the blade in half and tape one end. Peck's Polymers tip for sharper than #11 blades.