The blade bank sticky inspired me to try my hand at a blade bank using one of the leftover tea tins I have. My first attempt was functional but I wasn't happy with the slit opening. I worked a way to make the slit neater with a simple process described here.
The finished product:
Starting with a 4oz Tea tin:
Notice the lid is not perfectly flat, which is not really a problem:
I used a DE blade box to determine the width of the slit and to position where I wanted the slit (held in place with a bit of fun tack for the photo):
Some people might break out a ruler and try to position it precisely - I just went by eyeball.
Marked off the corners with a pencil:
Drilled one hole in each corner, using a 1/16" bit. A drill press is really helpful for this as I could lower it slowly and not dent the metal:
The next step required two "single edge razors" - I've included a photo because these don't get a lot of mention at B&B:
One of the blades will be used as a straight edge, it is taped onto the lid with masking tape connecting the two holes. Note 1: notice that the blade edge is covered with tape for safety. Note 2: the straight edge is actually mid-way on each hole:
The next step is important and easy - but it does require concentration. Holding the other razor blade carefully, insert the corner of the blade in one hole and hold it against the straight edge. You will apply a light pressure & drag the blade along the straight edge to the other hole:
Important: You are not cutting through the lid, you are only scoring the metal.
Important: You only want to score from hole to hole, do not fly off past the other hole and scratch the lid, or yourself or an observer.
You will do this lightly for about 15 times in each direction. After you do a few passes from one hole to the other, run a few the other way. Slowly increasing the pressure after a few passes.
After you've done ~20 passes you will be part way through the lid; when you flip the lid over you will see the score line forming:
At some point (this whole part shouldn't take more than 2 minutes) you'll have a deep enough score that you can cut through. Starting at one corner, insert the blade at an angle and slowly push it down until it has reach the half way point. You don't want to go hole-to-hole as this may deform the slit.
Flip and do the same from the other corner:
The resulting slit is pretty clean:
Even with good attention to detail and trying to go lightly with the scoring and cutting, the slit was slightly deformed. I used the dull body of a carton knife to flatten out the slit:
The resulting product:
However, I wasn't done there. The sticky post had a lot of comments about keeping the lid on, child safe, spill safe, etc. I considered super glue but also thought I might want to reuse the bank.
My answer to locking the lid on makes use of the drill press again. On two opposite corners I drilled two holes near each other:
I broke out the leatherman and shaped two paperclips into a suitable lock as shown in the picture:
Note: the paperclip at the bottom of the picture shows that I put two bends in the paperclip; the one midway down the length presses the "feet" against the wall of the tea tin, making a little tension.
If I ever want to open the blade bank, the locks are easly removed by grasping the paperclip with the needlenose and giving a sharp tug.
The finished product:
Total assembly time ~ 15 minutes
Total time thinking about this since I read the sticky: more than I am willing to admit, but none of my primary or secondary responsibilities as a husband and father and employee were neglected.
The finished product:
Starting with a 4oz Tea tin:
Notice the lid is not perfectly flat, which is not really a problem:
I used a DE blade box to determine the width of the slit and to position where I wanted the slit (held in place with a bit of fun tack for the photo):
Some people might break out a ruler and try to position it precisely - I just went by eyeball.
Marked off the corners with a pencil:
Drilled one hole in each corner, using a 1/16" bit. A drill press is really helpful for this as I could lower it slowly and not dent the metal:
The next step required two "single edge razors" - I've included a photo because these don't get a lot of mention at B&B:
One of the blades will be used as a straight edge, it is taped onto the lid with masking tape connecting the two holes. Note 1: notice that the blade edge is covered with tape for safety. Note 2: the straight edge is actually mid-way on each hole:
The next step is important and easy - but it does require concentration. Holding the other razor blade carefully, insert the corner of the blade in one hole and hold it against the straight edge. You will apply a light pressure & drag the blade along the straight edge to the other hole:
Important: You are not cutting through the lid, you are only scoring the metal.
Important: You only want to score from hole to hole, do not fly off past the other hole and scratch the lid, or yourself or an observer.
You will do this lightly for about 15 times in each direction. After you do a few passes from one hole to the other, run a few the other way. Slowly increasing the pressure after a few passes.
After you've done ~20 passes you will be part way through the lid; when you flip the lid over you will see the score line forming:
At some point (this whole part shouldn't take more than 2 minutes) you'll have a deep enough score that you can cut through. Starting at one corner, insert the blade at an angle and slowly push it down until it has reach the half way point. You don't want to go hole-to-hole as this may deform the slit.
Flip and do the same from the other corner:
The resulting slit is pretty clean:
Even with good attention to detail and trying to go lightly with the scoring and cutting, the slit was slightly deformed. I used the dull body of a carton knife to flatten out the slit:
The resulting product:
However, I wasn't done there. The sticky post had a lot of comments about keeping the lid on, child safe, spill safe, etc. I considered super glue but also thought I might want to reuse the bank.
Small digression: my bathroom cabinet has a slot for used razors and I really enjoy the twinkling sound as they drop off into Neverland. Unfortunately we have so much stuff packed into the cabinet that accessing the slot frequently would be an unnecessary strain on my marriage. This blade bank will help me keep the Shalom in the Home.
My answer to locking the lid on makes use of the drill press again. On two opposite corners I drilled two holes near each other:
I broke out the leatherman and shaped two paperclips into a suitable lock as shown in the picture:
Note: the paperclip at the bottom of the picture shows that I put two bends in the paperclip; the one midway down the length presses the "feet" against the wall of the tea tin, making a little tension.
If I ever want to open the blade bank, the locks are easly removed by grasping the paperclip with the needlenose and giving a sharp tug.
The finished product:
Total assembly time ~ 15 minutes
Total time thinking about this since I read the sticky: more than I am willing to admit, but none of my primary or secondary responsibilities as a husband and father and employee were neglected.
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