balsa stripper

Hi

I just saw a balsa stripper at the Hobby Lobby site. I used to use one that looks exactly like this back when I made R/C model planes professionally. The cutter slides in a track and the cutting width is adjusted accurately with shims. That was by far the best stripper I ever used but it belonged to someone else. I have never seen another for sale in Australia or I'd have bought it.

Anyone know the brand of these so I can try to source one in Aus?

Also what is the best balsa plane?

I used to use a Zip plane that I thought very good but the blades were hard to find and eventually the bolt stripped. Many are truely useless.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-21-04 AT 08:29 AM (CDT)
 
You are on the right site for the best razor plane. Hobby lobby has a nice metal one but the secret is their blades. They are made by Sologen (SP) and are thicker than a normal double edge blade. They now sell spare blades, I think in a 5 pack, at one point I purchased a new plane just to get the blade!
The Master airscrew balsa stripper works well but you have to replace the blade. Use a big #11 look alike , the one that goes into the big handle or a big scalpel blade. The #11 has to much wander to get nice square cuts but the thicker heavier blade solves that problem. I scored some of the big scalpel blades from work with a stiffening rib on the back of the blade. Now that works very well even in balsa slightly on the heavy side. The #11 just is way to flexible!!

> The Master airscrew balsa stripper works well but you
>have to replace the blade. Use a big #11 look alike , the
>one that goes into the big handle or a big scalpel blade.
>The #11 has to much wander to get nice square cuts but the
>thicker heavier blade solves that problem.

Cool.

Where does one find these beefed up #11 look alike blades?

I've tried many razor planes over the years. If they have a plastic body, forget them, they are simply too flexible. There is one that stands out above all others and that's the "David" razor plane. I have two of them and wouldn't part with them. They are a die cast alloy body so are stiff enough to support the blade properly. They use a similar shape blade as the old safety razor blades, but they are much thicker at 0.012". I have 3 or4 packets of spare blades each with 10 blades per pack. You can adjust the cut for really superfine cuts for finishing or heavy roughing ones. That's why I have the two, one set up for finishing one for roughing.
You could try Kellets Hobbies in Sydney Australia for your stripper, but I'd suggest you address your enquiry to Gary Kellet personally <http://www.kellettshobbies.com/ieindex.html>
Cheers John

LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-04 AT 00:27 AM (CDT)
 
Let's see if this works. I just posted the links to the photos of the balsa stripper and razor plane on the Hobby Lobby site. It works!

Most of their stuff seems to be German. You might check Graupner, Robbe and Kavan websites. Those are all the German model brands I know, other than Webra. Steve

http://www.nwskyraiders.com/index.html

Hobby Lobby's website: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/

The #11 blade look alike that I talked about is an Xacto blade but the one that is for the big handles #2,3 or 4. They are a 1.5X size #11 blade. The scalpel blades are even better but I do not know where to buy less than 100 of them. The nearest hobby shop should have the Xacto blade I think it is a number 22.

...The nearest hobby shop should have the Xacto blade I think it is a number 22.

Actually it is the #2 blade. The #22 is the one with the curved-upward cutting edge.

>The #11 blade look alike that I talked about is an Xacto
>blade but the one that is for the big handles #2,3 or 4.
>They are a 1.5X size #11 blade. The scalpel blades are even
>better but I do not know where to buy less than 100 of them.

I might be able to go with 100 or so blades.

Can you name a source?

Thanks - Bob