Done / Completed 1 Inch Dia. Graflex Razor Blade Plugs

[ARKM]

UPDATE March 11th, 2017:

This run is over. Thanks to all for their business. I appreciate it.

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Hi all.

This is a limited run thread for a new style of Razor blade plug that is for vintage Graflex and Graflex replicas that take 1" diameter blades (for example, the Graflex flash units with the TCSS and TGS blade holders installed). I also have a separate limited run thread for this same style of blade plug for Graflex 2.0 sabers, using the stock blade holder that comes with them. Here's the link for that thread... http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=259917

I designed this blade plug to look like the actual top of a Graflex flash unit, only with a shaver head incorporated into it. This means that it actually has the proper convex shape going from the top down into the center.

This will be a limited run of 50 blade plugs.

The blade plugs shown below have the metal ring that sits around the shaver head, painted semi-gloss black. However the final versions will be anodized black (after polishing them super shiny).

The blade plugs will be 1-1/2" (1.5") long. That is the only length they will be available in. I will offer the nipp... er, I mean the center protrusion/bulb contact pin, in both polished aluminum and polished brass. I will also offer the shaver head in it's normal stainless finish as well as painted semi-gloss black (believe it or not, spray paint does not clog up those super tiny gaps in the shaver head. Yay!). Having the shaver head painted black will make it look a little more accurate to the actual Graflex parts.

The price is $38 before shipping for a blade plug with a polished aluminum bulb contact pin and $40 before shipping for one with a polished brass bulb contact pin. I usually ship via USPS First Class Mail using padded envelopes to help save on shipping costs. Shipping costs are $4 in the U.S., $11 to Canada and $15.00 for all other countries. Any other shipping option will be more expensive. However if you require a different method of shipping, please let me know via PM and I'll get you a shipping quote. International customers may have customs fees that their own country charges for imported products, before they will release the package to be delivered to them. This is out of my control and there is no way to avoid those fees that they charge.

Please post here, PM me or send me an email at evil_henchman1@yahoo.com if you are interested and I'll add you to the list in this post and update it with your forum name (or first name and initial of last name if expressing interest via email). Thanks for reading.

The pics with the black shaver head do not look super black because of the light reflecting off the semi-gloss black paint and because of the white plastic underneath.

Pics of the blade plug installed in an older Parks Sabers v1 Graflex replica and a TGS blade holder...

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1. Darth Mob (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
2. crazyace63 (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
3. wingattackplanr (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
4. Sandtracker (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
5. Panaflex - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
6. Mike A. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
7. brthegreat117 (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
8. Polygon - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
9. Revanchist (TRA) - Two - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
10. Chris R. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
11. msasin (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
12. krystalmesh (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
13. jcru (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
14. stjohsp (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
15. Greg S. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
16. keyang (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
17. warayn (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
18. Varian C. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
19. scarecrow (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
20. idahoren (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
21. Elbee - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
22. darthmagnus (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
23. Gabriel T. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
24. syinx - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
25. Hyde H. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
26. TyrellOCP - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
27. Mathieu P. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
28. David G. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
29. Luis O. (email) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
30. Chris A. (email) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
31. Jonathan N. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
32. @subaquatic - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
33. Michael S. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
34. quigonfishing (TRA) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
35. zero14 (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
36. ic3cold (TRA) - Two - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
37. jcru (TRA) - Two - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
38. volondargur (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
39. @memberseven - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
40. Andy U. (email) - One - Aluminum bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
41. Brandon M. (email) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Stainless shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED
42. grigoris (TRA) - One - Brass bulb contact pin with Black shaver head. - PAID - SHIPPED





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Update:

Thanks to everyone for signing up. This is now a limited run thread and I am now accepting payments. Please send payment via PayPal to evil_henchman1@yahoo.com .

Graflex Razor Blade plug with polished aluminum bulb contact pin = $38.
Graflex Razor Blade plug with polished brass bulb contact pin = $40.

Shipping within the U.S. = $4.
Shipping to Canada = $11.
Shipping to all other countries = $15.

Please be sure to list your forum username in the PayPal notes when sending me payment so I know who is whom. Once you have paid, I will update the first post to show that you have paid. Thank you.

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UPDATE:

Hi all.

I know this isn't the thread for them but all 100 rings for my Graflex 2.0 Razor blade plug run have been polished and packaged for shipping to the anodizer (more info and pics on that topic are in the other run thread).

Enough about those. You're here for updates on the 1" Dia. Graflex Razor blade plugs. Well then, I have good news... the 1" dia. rings arrived yesterday.

Since they had to be put back into the CNC equipment to fix them (they were too tall), they arrived with a lot more noticeable scratches compared to the Graflex 2.0 Razor blade plug rings. As such, they required more work. I spent yesterday sanding and buffing them. Today I will be polishing them to a high shine using liquid metal polish. I already did that with one of them so you can see how they look.

I will be shipping them off to the anodizer tomorrow. It may be over a week before I get them back. Thank you for your patience.

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UPDATE 6/6/2016:

I called the anodizer today and they stated that my parts should (should being the key word) ship out tomorrow so hopefully I will have them on or before Friday. I will post an update once they have arrived. Thank you for your patience.

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UPDATE 6/9/2016:

Hi all. I got the anodized rings and I must say, they look great.

Here's where I'm at on getting stuff done for the 1" dia. Graflex Razor Blade Plug... I have all the parts done to complete all of my orders for this version of the Graflex Razor blade plug. The shaver heads that need to be painted have been and I also have all the aluminum bulb contact pins polished and soaking in acetone to remove all polishing compound. However I still need to polish the brass bulb contact pins and soak them as well.

I will start shipping this Monday. Now would be a good time for any that have not paid me yet to pay me. Once again, thank you for your patience.

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UPDATE 6/13/2016:

Orders have started shipping and tracking numbers have been sent out. Thanks all.

 

[Panaflex]

Interested in a Brass bulb contact pin with black shaver head please.

 

[JaxAndTheMoon]

Bump for a great project! (Again)

 

[karmajay]

Where is the 2.0 thread, I can't seem to find it, thanks!

 

[ARKM]

Where is the 2.0 thread, I can't seem to find it, thanks!

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=259917

 

[ARKM]

Hi all. Some of you may have noticed that I lowered the prices yesterday in the original post. This is because I now have a machinist nailed down. As such, the prices have been lowered and are final. The price for one of these blade plugs is $38 for one with a polished aluminum bulb contact pin and $40 for one with a polished brass bulb contact pin.

I usually ship via USPS First Class Mail using padded envelopes to help save on shipping costs. Shipping costs are $4 in the U.S., $11 to Canada and $15.00 for all other countries. Any other shipping option will be more expensive. However if you require a different method of shipping, please let me know via PM and I'll get you a shipping quote. International customers may have customs fees that their own country charges for imported products, before they will release the package to be delivered to them. This is out of my control and there is no way to avoid those fees that they charge.

I am still not accepting any payment at this time as now that the prices are finalized, I want to give some of you that have expressed interest, time to back out as well as those on the fence, time to consider signing up. Plus, I want to give a little more time in general for more people to sign up. Right now the plan is to start accepting payment on May 1st. Thank you for your patience.

 

[ARKM]

......

 

[ARKM]

Update:

Currently the rings that rest on top of the shaver head are being CNC machined by my machinist and some "test" rings are at the anodizer.

Thanks to everyone for signing up. This is now a limited run thread and I am now accepting payments. Please send payment via PayPal to evil_henchman1@yahoo.com .

Graflex Razor Blade plug with polished aluminum bulb contact pin = $38.
Graflex Razor Blade plug with polished brass bulb contact pin = $40.

Shipping within the U.S. = $4.
Shipping to Canada = $11.
Shipping to all other countries = $15.

Once you have paid, I will update the first post to show that you have paid. Thank you.

 

[Panaflex]

Payment sent.:thumbsup
Please do not paint the white plastic part black.
Thank-you.

 

[ARKM]

Payment sent.:thumbsup
Please do not paint the white plastic part black.
Thank-you.

Copy that and thanks.

 

[ARKM]

Please be sure to list your forum username in the PayPal notes when sending me payment so I know who is whom. Thanks.

 

[ARKM]

Small update:

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Graflex 2.0 rings are fine and should be shipped to me on Monday. The bad news is the 1" dia. rings for my other blade plug run are not fine (they were accidentally machined over 1/8" too tall) and as such, have to be fixed and shipped to me at a later date. What this means is that I have to wait for the rings from both runs to get to me before I can ship them off to my anodizer. This is about a 7 to 9 day delay. I am sorry for the delay and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Sometime next week, I will post pics of the Graflex 2.0 Razor blade plugs rings, shaver heads and other parts. Thank you for your patience.

 

[maxaddict]

Sent from my LGL85C using Tapatalk 2

 

[ARKM]

Sent from my LGL85C using Tapatalk 2

How mysterious.

 

[Polygon]

Aluminum on silver please!

edit: paid!

 

[ARKM]

Copy that. Added. Thanks.

 

[ARKM]

UPDATE:

Hi all. I have an update for you.

I received my test rings back from the anodizer. I sent in two that that were highly polished which I then had anodized black with NO acid etching being done beforehand (acid etching is a normal part of the type II anodizing process) in order to keep the finish an shiny as possible and two that I sent in with a lathe-sanded finish that I had bright dipped and then anodized black. The two that were polished but not acid etched came back looking super shiny, almost full gloss. I love it! The two that were just sanded and then bright dipped came back looking satin. All four look great but the more glossy ones are a closer match to the TGS blade holder as well as all of the pics I have seen of both the stock and after market Graflex 2.0 blade holders. As such, I will polish all the rings before sending them off to be anodized. You can't really see the difference in the pic below but in person it's easy to see.

In other news, while it may be a week before I get my hands on the 1" dia. rings, I did receive the Graflex 2.0 rings from my machinist and I must say, they look fantastic and all the measurements are spot on to the blueprints I sent him. The finish on them is excellent and should only require some minor polishing before I send them off to be anodized. All the other parts and materials are here as well. I have 63 shaver heads (more than enough to fullfill my current orders), a bag full of 100 1/2" long 6-32 button head screws and plenty of white plastic rod and polycarbonate tube to fullfill all my orders and then some. I am also 3/4 of the way done on making the brass and aluminum bulb contact pins. They are not polished yet but that part's easy and takes very little time. Pics...

There's still plenty of room in this run. Feel free to jump on in.

As always, thanks for reading.

 

[ARKM]

UPDATE:

Hi all.

I know this isn't the thread for them but all 100 rings for my Graflex 2.0 Razor blade plug run have been polished and packaged for shipping to the anodizer (more info and pics on that topic are in the other run thread).

Enough about those. You're here for updates on the 1" Dia. Graflex Razor blade plugs. Well then, I have good news... the 1" dia. rings arrived yesterday.

Since they had to be put back into the CNC equipment to fix them (they were too tall), they arrived with a lot more noticeable scratches compared to the Graflex 2.0 Razor blade plug rings. As such, they required more work. I spent yesterday sanding and buffing them. Today I will be polishing them to a high shine using liquid metal polish. I already did that with one of them so you can see how they look.

I will be shipping them off to the anodizer tomorrow. It may be over a week before I get them back. Thank you for your patience.

 

[Panaflex]

Looks like a ton of extra work! Thanks very much for the update, it always makes waiting easier.
Really looking forward to it.

 

[ARKM]

You're welcome and thanks.