Knife making in the late 20s in Sheffield
A bit long, but worth a watch:
C.J. & CO CUTLERY | Yorkshire Film Archive
Forget about getting deaf.
Forget about wearing gloves when you are etching the blade with acid, or when you are handling sharp blades.
Forget about tight-fitting clothes: the camera is coming to record your work, so you'll only want to wear your best jacket anyway. If your shirt is loose, rool it up your arm.
Forget about using a sharpening support: your hands know the exact angle, they have made thousands of these before.
Forget about automation: the holes in the presentation cards are drilled by hand (that is, using a hand-powered drill), and each knife is sew individually to the board by a skilled lady. The word "robot" has only been invented 8 years ago anyway and has not probably made it yet from eastern Europe to northern England.
Forget about not caring: each item is polished and wiped clean by hand, and the shipping crates are lined with tin and soldered shut to protect the shipment until it reaches the other end of the world.
Forget about mass-production blandness: each razor and pocket knife blade is forged by a blacksmith.
