Edison Shaver Info Please?

[CDBPDX]

I just brought home an Edison shaver, seems to be a desk top hand crank operated machine. Haven't been able to find any model number or info online. Pretty sure it is for an Ediphone. I think it will look much better cleaned up.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks! Cliff

[CDBPDX]

Just started working on this shaver. It is pretty rusty but should be salvageable.

Still haven't been able to locate another one...

Cliff

[CDBPDX]

I took apart the shaver and cleaned all the parts. Just had to see if it would spin so I put some parts on and connected the belts and it spins! YeeHaa!!

Watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx6NMPHzMN4

I have high hopes that it will eventually be fully functional....

Cliff

[CDBPDX]

Finally got the rest of the shaver together and it runs great! All I need now are some cylinders to practice shaving.

See it running assembled:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrGbJvo7_pM

Cliff

[CDBPDX]

Just got some Edison Ediphone Voicewriter cylinders today. Now I can see if this machine will actually shave!

Cliff

[CDBPDX]

I just acquired several Ediphone wax cylinders and did some experimenting with the shaver. The first run was really a mess with shavings all over the place. Took a while to figure out just exactly where to set the shroud, but that is no longer an issue.

I shaved a cylinder about 15 times, each time adjusting the blade a tiny bit. Finally got to a point where the cut was glassy smooth but a bit uneven. There seems to be an issue with setting the blade cut depth. I can't figure out how to set the blade. I can hold it while I'm cranking the shaver, but I think that's where the unevenness is coming from. Seems there should be a way to set and lock it to a cutting depth. What am I missing?

Thanks! Cliff

[edisonphonoworks]

Nice hand cranked shaver! Those would be great for field recording in a jungle or a remote area,with no electricity I would love to find one. I do that kind of a thing sometimes, take my machine to remote areas and record ethnography cylinders. It should work just as the instructions say that was posted. If you are having trouble with the lever popping back up, the the large screw through the lever itself that brings the shaving head down to the blank, needs to be regulated it is tricky. It seems if you have the main screw too tight,it will pop back so try loosening the nut and then loosen the screw a bit with careful adjustment it should stay down. Also make sure the archer bow looking cam's screw is not too tight,and all these parts are well oiled. It is an automatic setting shaver, that is when you pull the lever down it is supposed to have the correct spring tension to make a nice shaving, not too deep or to shallow. https://youtu.be/KS-juYveT2g Is a video using an older shaver, that has a manual lock system.https://youtu.be/6B5U3GUNBjw You will want to go to 12:00 on this video, as I am sure you don't want to get board at looking how a wax cylinder is made from scratch, this gives a very clear look at how the locking system is supposed to work, on a 1940's Edison master Shaver.

[CDBPDX]

A little more experimenting and some invaluable assistance from Benjamin, THEVICTROLAGUY, and it works great! Once I convinced the shaver bar to lock in place, the surface of a shaved cylinder is like glass. Watch the finished product on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/4w9S9C5ICMY

Thanks! Cliff

[CDBPDX]

The mechanism that locks the cutting shaft is made to work by a spring loaded pin that pushes against a sleeve on the cutter shaft adjustment bar and keeps it in place while shaving. The issue with mine was the spring that pushes the lift lever back was on top of the spring loaded pin and prevented it from working. I disassembled the whole thing again and made certain the lever spring was correctly placed, put it back together, and it worked. Very happy!

[CDBPDX]

There was a casualty during the video...

https://youtu.be/AjIvqDLmlHk

Cliff