Thread: Honing in the 1930's question ?

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

He may not have but I would bet he used the guy in a wagon going neighborhood to neighborhood sharpening all things sharp. My old barber still did it up till the 60,s. Then he had to take them to someone else the old man had died. But it was coo on , not uncommon. Tc

As a kid in Chicago, we used to see an old guy pushing one of these, all over
town, whenever there was no snow on the ground:




The old guy hardly spoke English. He walked with a limp, and there was a bell
attached to the wheels. We could hear him coming a couple of blocks away,
and we'd run home to tell Mom that "The Scissor Man" was coming.

He sharpened knives, scissors, chisels...anything with an edge...all on that one
big wheel. He also repaired umbrellas. One spring in the fifties, he didn't come
around. Never saw him again after that. Never seen anything like it since.

Unless a regrind was needed I find it hard to believe that many or most barbers didn't sharpen their own during the slow times at the shop.

I have quite a few of these old carborundum stones. They work fast and aggressive. They are pretty low in "grit". IMO.

Originally Posted by PaulKidd

As a kid in Chicago, we used to see an old guy pushing one of these, all over
town, whenever there was no snow on the ground:


The old guy hardly spoke English. He walked with a limp, and there was a bell
attached to the wheels. We could hear him coming a couple of blocks away,
and we'd run home to tell Mom that "The Scissor Man" was coming.

He sharpened knives, scissors, chisels...anything with an edge...all on that one
big wheel. He also repaired umbrellas. One spring in the fifties, he didn't come
around. Never saw him again after that. Never seen anything like it since.

When I was a kid in the 50s, a guy would come around our neighborhood sharpening knives and scissors. I remember one time thinking that it was about time for him to come again and that never happened. I was too young to realize that 'times had changed'.

Reminds me of my neighborhood in North Chicago in the 50s. I had forgotten about this, might even the same old man.

Originally Posted by Geezer

Interesting, I found the modern Hair Palaces have trouble finding a quality shears sharpener. There is one in his late 70's that still travels a five county area here. The stylists hope he has a long useful life!!
~Richard

A friend of mine made an investment of about $700 to be able to sharpen scissors for barbers and hair stylist. He charges $25 per pair and when he found out I was retiring he encouraged me to make the investment.

My oldest daughter owns and operates her own hair shop and I spent some time talking to her about the prospect. While there was a gentleman who did the sharpening she said she'd recommend my services since she knew what a fussy old basteard I am. However when she told me that the shears she used were fairly inexpensive and 'only' cost about $350 EA I about died! When I questioned her she said that there were some shears out there that ran about $900 a pair!

That made the decision quite easy--No Way! Screw up one pair of shears and you could kiss a lot of money away.

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

He may not have but I would bet he used the guy in a wagon going neighborhood to neighborhood sharpening all things sharp. My old barber still did it up till the 60,s. Then he had to take them to someone else the old man had died. But it was coo on , not uncommon. Tc

You betcha, Tc.
I'm the guy in the cart..!!

Short story...
Stopped into a barber shop looking for some goodies, asked the barber if he had anything he'd part with, he asks me, can you hone, or make scales. I reply..yes sir, but I'm a bit new to making scales. He digs into a old Tupperware bowl for a hand full of razors, picks out a few he wants fixed, and tells me the rest are mine for payment.

He told me about the guy who came around to fix clippers, as well as hone scissors and razors. I guess I took his place. Nobody offers these services anymore, and has tempted me to looking into doing this to supplement my income, if lucrative enough...for a new job.

So sick of working for folks that don't want to pay me for my knowledge and education I have for the field I work in, yet can charge the customer $100+ an hour for MY labor, and haven't been given a raise in god knows how long.

I can hone most sissors, but some are still out of my league. Like the convexed, Japanese one's. $$$$

Originally Posted by outback

You betcha, Tc.
He told me about the guy who came around to fix clippers, as well as hone scissors and razors. I guess I took his place. Nobody offers these services anymore, and has tempted me to looking into doing this to supplement my income, if lucrative enough...for a new job.

So sick of working for folks that don't want to pay me for my knowledge and education I have for the field I work in, yet can charge the customer $100+ an hour for MY labor, and haven't been given a raise in god knows how long.

Back in the mid 70's when I was an Autobody repairman we worked on straight commission so there wasn't any kind of a 'minimum wage'. The labor rate was $13.00 per hour with a 40/60 split in which the shop got the 60% and we got the 40%.

There were months that I cleared $1000.00 which was good money back then but there were months that I didn't even gross $300.00. (An online inflation calculator says that the $1000.00 would be the same as $4631.48 in 20017).

As my old autobody instructor used to tell us. "Boy's one week you'll be eating chicken but the next week you may be eating feathers". How right he was.

Just something to think about before going 100% 'solo'.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Back in the mid 70's when I was an Autobody repairman we worked on straight commission so there wasn't any kind of a 'minimum wage'. The labor rate was $13.00 per hour with a 40/60 split in which the shop got the 60% and we got the 40%.

There were months that I cleared $1000.00 which was good money back then but there were months that I didn't even gross $300.00. (An online inflation calculator says that the $1000.00 would be the same as $4631.48 in 20017).

As my old autobody instructor used to tell us. "Boy's one week you'll be eating chicken but the next week you may be eating feathers". How right he was.

Just something to think about before going 100% 'solo'.

I most hardily agree, Roy. I'd have to build a nice clientele, before I'd jump ship. But it would at least add a bit more buoyancy to the life raft. I need to do something to fix the leak in my boat, (so to say)
Cost of living always on the rise, but not my paycheck.
Yet I watch my employers taking vacations to the keys, with his nice 42' offshore race boat. Hmm, I wonder how.!

It has never bothered me to work for a boss that had their own money invested and made a lot. They took the risk with their money and deserved the reward. These CEO's that are paid millions and have no risk of their own are the ones that bother me.