On Friday I visited Trevor Ablett one of the last of Sheffield’s pen and pocketknife makers. Trevor is on the left with Reg Cooper bowie knife maker on the right. I have visited Trevor a few times now and bought quite a few of his knives. I tend to give them as gifts when we visit folk on behalf of…
In March I posted about Portland Works a rather wonderful piece of Sheffield history. This was the first purpose built cutlery works in Sheffield and the first place in the world where stainless steel was made into cutlery. It has been in continuous use by various metalworking and cutlery trades since it was built and despite being grade II* listed…
Yesterday I visited the kutrite scissor works in Sheffield, I have written about them before here and here, they are wonderful chaps, the three guys working there have 150 years experience of the cutlery trade between them. This is Cliff, the “putter togetherer” that is the official job title that you would advertise in the days when there were 60…
Last December I wrote about a very special scissors factory in Sheffield here. Yesterday I went back to do help them take photographs for their new retail website. I am not a photographer but I have learned simple ways of using natural light and a simple background to show this sort of product off reasonably well. It is also quick…
Folks who have been watching my blog for a while may remember me visiting Stuart Mitchell a knifemaker in Sheffield. He works in Portland Works which was built in the 1870s as a cutlery works. It has an incredibly important part in Sheffield if not world history as the place where stainless steel was first manufactured in 1913. Today the…
Well not green wood tools but I visited this place on Thursday along with knifemaker Grace Horne and it was great. Eric Grinding Ian glasing, that is using a hard felt buffing wheel with abrasive Cliff working his magic on a nearly finished pair Notice the slope on the hammer head so it comes down flat on the stiddy with…
Yesterday I visited some wonderful old Sheffield knife makers with a group of folk from the British Blades forum. Nicola has spent quite a bit of time recording these folk on film but for me it was great to see the old skills alongside some very up to date production. First we went to Taylors Eye Witness Works where they…
