Hand-held safety holder for a single-edge razor blade for cutting a sheet or strand

A hand-held safety holder for a single-edge razor blade, for cutting a thin sheet or strand, comprising:

• an elongated member having proximal and distal ends, with a planar, blade-holding part disposed toward said distal end and a part for grasping with the hand disposed toward the other,
• said planar part having about the same thickness as the guard of the razor blade and first and second sides,
• said planar part having a rectangular aperture therethrough which is slightly larger than the guard of the razor blade for retaining the blade against movement in the plane of the planar part during cutting,
• said planar part having an internal, blade-receiving recess which is slightly larger than the blade part of the razor blade, extending downward from said aperture, in the plane of said planar part, and between said first and second sides, said first side being relieved for a portion of its depth below said rectangular aperture to permit the insertion and removal of the blade part of the razor blade between said first and second sides, and to retain the blade therebetween against lateral movement during cutting,
• said planar part having a slotted opening at the lower edge thereof, extending distally-inward to said recess to expose a portion of the cutting edge of the blade, to guide the sheet or strand into cutting contact with said exposed portion of the blade at an angle of incidence with respect to the blade when said knife is drawn across the edge of the sheet or strand, said slotted opening having a width and depth sufficient to permit the edgewise passage of the sheet or strand into said cutting contact with said blade and to prevent said cutting contact with any part of the hand,
• said planar part having an elongated finger with a tapered end extending proximally-outward therefrom, below said lower edge and parallel to said slotted opening, having a proximal edge coincident with the distal edge of said slotted opening, to hook the sheet or strand into initial engagement within said slotted opening.