Who makes the best Balsa Stripper?

I need a balsa stripper to cut some odd (metric) sized strips. Are there any good ones out there that cut with some accuracy?
Thanks in Advance.
Regards,
John Jolley

I like the one made by Master Air Screw

Master Air Screw

>I need a balsa stripper to cut some odd (metric) sized
>strips. Are there any good ones out there that cut with some
>accuracy?

Hobby Lobby.

It is expensive, but if accuracy and repeatability are important, it has no peer.

V/r

I mounted my master airscrew stripper on a piece of plywood and added pieces of motor mount fore and aft to make guiding the sheet through easier. I have several times made custom strippers by gluing together pieces of wood and using half a double edge razor blade. Picture a U-shaped gadget with the blade across the arms of the U. Probably a blade from a disposable razor would work better.

The master airscrew works 100% better if you substitute the big #11 blade, I think it may be a #22, it is the one that fits the bigger handles. The extra thickness of the blade keeps the wander down to almost nothing. Adding the plywood and a longer fence sounds like a very good idea as well.

That #11 blade in a #1 handle guided carefully along a straight edge works too.
I have a couple of X-Acto strippers I got about 45 years ago...marginal, harder to use.

>>I need a balsa stripper to cut some odd (metric) sized
>>strips. Are there any good ones out there that cut with some
>>accuracy?
>
>Hobby Lobby.
>
>It is expensive, but if accuracy and repeatability are
>important, it has no peer.
>
>V/r
>
>Bob Kruger

I have a Hobby Lobby near me I will check today and see if they have one.

I noticed Sig has something called a Razor Plan that uses a razor blade not sure if that is the same thing as a stripper. I was planning to order the razor plan but the last time I ordered something from Sig it took me over 3 weeks to get it so I changed my mind. I have an old antique carpenter box plan that I am planning to make a tiny copy of using a razor blade. I hope it will work to reshape balsa but if Hobby Lobby has what I need I won't have to build one.

Gary,

If it is the one I'm thinking of (Master Airscrew), that little plane is a dandy. It's molded black plastic and has blades that resemble a single edged razor, but aren't exactly the same.

It's a good tool. I use a carpenter's block plane as well, by comparison it is heavy duty and too big for more delicate jobs.

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"We're having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, we're having a swan. You get more stuffing." -George Carlin

Just discoverd this thread and I may be too late to help with this problem, but . . .

A (large) number of years ago, I bought a balsa stripper made by Gene Dubois, a well-respected F/F modeler in the NorthEast. It's a plank of 3/8" or 1/2" BB Plywood with a bunch of routed grooves of various widths. Injector-type razor blades (this will date it, for most of us) are clamped down with small plywood plates. It's possible to create strips from about 1/32 x 1/16 up to 1/8 x 1/4 with this tool.

I don't know if he still offers the stripper, but I did see his ad for a F/F kit in a recent mag (can't remember whish one).

Hey Ralph:

So is this stripper kind of like a wood jointer with a fixed blade?

I assume one runs the edge of the balsa thru the groove--abd the cut strip is the part under the horizontal blade?

ANy pictures?

"ANy pictures?"

Wow... I know you guys get hot thinking of model planes, but looking at pictures of "balsa strippers"??? Kinda desperate, don't ya think?

John,

Assuming he doesn't see this, whack Steve Helmick a good 'un via SSW "private" message service. Years ago Steve paid quite a lot of money for a Rilly Kewl stripper and has pictures of it at hand.

In fact, the reason I remember the pictures is that Steve posted them here. Uh, sometime within the last year.

The stripper that Hobby Lobby sells is the best I've ever seen as is their small block plane. Simply the best.

The secret of their small razor plane is the Sologin? blade. It was so much better than a regular blade that I bought a second plane just to get the blade. They now sell the blades in pkgs of 5.