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Knife sharpeners

Knife sharpeners, often known as scissors grinders, sharpened knives, scissors and other sharp metal objects. Knife sharpeners were usually Cantonese Chinese or Malay. Most of them were itinerant and travelled from one housing estate to another with their tools. They were also found stationary along five-foot-ways in old Singapore throughout the island.

History
In the early days of Singapore, it was expensive to buy a new pair of scissors or a knife. It was also believed that scissors become more seasoned and worked better when sharpened. People therefore preferred having their knives and scissors sharpened by knife sharpeners rather than buying new ones. These sharpeners used to get the bulk of their business from tailors and garment factories located in Singapore and Malaysia. Until the 1950s, bundles of knives and scissors were still sent from Malaysia to Singapore to be sharpened.

Job Scope
Knife sharpeners carried with them a pail of water, a grindstone and sheets of sandpaper either by trolley or by hand. They would set up shop in front or back of their own house or along the footpath. The knife sharpener would file the knife's sharp end on a whetstone or grindstone to sharpen it. He would use water in between to clean away the accumulated mass or to cool the knife that became hot due to friction. It took about half an hour to grind a knife or a pair of scissors. With the introduction of machines, the knife sharpener would hold the knife against his mechanised grindstone as it rotated at a constant speed. Scissors were sharpened in a similar fashion. Some sharpeners had their own shops with sophisticated machines for sharpening all types of knives and scissors. The trick of their trade was in holding the knife at an appropriate angle against the grindstone and applying the right amount of strength to sharpen it. Knife sharpeners believed that mere grinding would blunt the knife easily within a very short span of time. Exerting too much strength was not considered right either, as that was believed to wear away the metal. The knife sharpener therefore had to apply the right amount of pressure consistently on a knife. The knife sharpener would instinctively know which kind or type of knife required what amount of pressure against the whetstone. In the 1970s, it cost 50 cents to sharpen a pair of scissors or a knife. In the early to mid-1990s regular customers paid S$4 for a 25 cm blade to be sharpened in five minutes, whilst first time customers would pay S$7.50.

Development
The business of sharpening knives and scissors simply became redundant with time. People preferred buying a new pair of scissors or a knife to save themselves the hassle of waiting for an itinerant knife sharpener to appear around their housing estates. With busier schedules, people also had no time to carry their knives and scissors to the knife sharpener. Knife sharpening portable equipment was available in the market. People could therefore sharpen their own knives and scissors. Knives and scissors of various kinds were sold at competitive rates, many of which promised to last without ever needing sharpening. Lifestyle changes induced people into buying classier knives than retaining old ones. Knife sharpeners therefore are no longer around in Singapore today.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Ong, C., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders (pp. 33-35). Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department.
(Call no.: SING 779.9658870095957 FIV)

Sharpening is their business. (1981). Goodwood Journal, 4th Qtr., 39, 35.
(Call no.: RCLOS 052 GHCGJ) 

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Labour and Employment>>Vanishing Trades
Knives--Sharpening--Singapore
Skilled labor--Singapore
Business, finance and industry>>Economics>>Labour economics



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