How to make a Sheffield pocket knife, Jon Henley, The Guardian, Saturday 23 January
Still at the cutting edge of his craft, a 'little mester' shows Jon Henley the skills that once made his city the capital of cutlery
Little mesters, they were called in their heyday in the mid-1800s: the legions of highly skilled, self-employed Sheffield craftsmen who were the backbone of what was then the world's cutlery and tool-making capital.
Working alone or with one or two employees, renting their workshops, little mesters mostly specialised in one aspect of their trade forging, or grinding, or finishing and often in one type of product: razors, scissors, surgical instruments.
Trevor Ablett, 67, is one of just a handful left. He makes traditional folding pen- and pocket knives. "Ordinary working knives," he insists. "No pearl or ivory, nothing fancy." They are, though, quite exquisite: small, smooth, beautifully balanced and infinitely pleasing everyday tools, with blades of carbon steel, bolsters of polished brass and handles of stag, rosewood or buffalo horn.
Full article here http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jan/23/make-a-sheffield-pocket-knife
One day next week there will be a full slide show of all the stages of producing a traditional Sheffield folder.
Still at the cutting edge of his craft, a 'little mester' shows Jon Henley the skills that once made his city the capital of cutlery
Little mesters, they were called in their heyday in the mid-1800s: the legions of highly skilled, self-employed Sheffield craftsmen who were the backbone of what was then the world's cutlery and tool-making capital.
Working alone or with one or two employees, renting their workshops, little mesters mostly specialised in one aspect of their trade forging, or grinding, or finishing and often in one type of product: razors, scissors, surgical instruments.
Trevor Ablett, 67, is one of just a handful left. He makes traditional folding pen- and pocket knives. "Ordinary working knives," he insists. "No pearl or ivory, nothing fancy." They are, though, quite exquisite: small, smooth, beautifully balanced and infinitely pleasing everyday tools, with blades of carbon steel, bolsters of polished brass and handles of stag, rosewood or buffalo horn.
Full article here http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jan/23/make-a-sheffield-pocket-knife
One day next week there will be a full slide show of all the stages of producing a traditional Sheffield folder.
