Stanley 53 replacement blade

[Mark Gibney]

I'm rehabbing a Stanley 53, and the existing iron is shot. The Hock "U" shaped blade is $30, $10 shipping. The Veritas blades for the 151 are $19, not sure about the shipping.

If I use the Veritas iron I would need to remove the holding screw to insert the iron. Any opinions on which is the better way to go with this?

[lowell holmes]

I would ask Lee Valley if it would work.

[Archie England]

to my zip, LV shipping is about $17; and I've used LV replacements for my 51, 151.

After checking, my #53 shave has the "U" cut in the middle of the blade, so the LV 151 blade will not fit (I have two of them in my #51 and #151) without alteration.

[Bill Houghton]

The open slot in the iron for the 53 is as wide as the shank of the retaining screw; the wider closed slot in the iron for the 151 is as wide as the head of the screw the lever cap pivots on (similarly sized screws). To make the Lee Valley 151 iron fit, you would have to add a washer large enough to cover the slot, and thick enough to clamp the iron down firmly; and continue the slot upwards on the iron so it's open at the top. Is the savings worth the work?