The Club of Queer Crafts

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 56, 28 May 1927, Page 10

The Club of Queer Crafts

02. The Knife-Grinde

candidate for the Club Queer Crafts presents himself. “How’s business ?” “Oh—middlin’,” granted the old knifegrinder after a second’s thought. He treadled steadily and the yellow water spurted off the grindstone. “Business is middlin’ grindin’ scissors. Of course, there’s opposition. But there’s none of them got one of these,” he added proudly, referring to the outfit with which he carries on his business. That seemed a reasonable claim. On the back wheel of his bicycle lie had attached the front forks of another bicycle and this served as a standard for all his equipment—practically the sole support of the knife-grinder’s existence. There was the grindstone running in its improvised trough of water. A detachable treadle working on to the back-wheel provided power, using the wheel at the same time as a flywheel. A carborundum wheel on the back forks could be lowered on to the tyre to obtain its motive power. Ingenuity-—■_? But the crowning

thought was a system of wedges by which the saw-doctor’s vice was set up. Then on the handlebars the scissors-grinder had hung a frame which held his kit of tools and, on the bar, yet another tin which contained an oil-stone and a piece of slate tile which did duty as a finishingstone. “It’s my own invention. I made it three years ago and the patent’s in the Patents Office. “I wish I was in America with this. I’d get some capitalist to take it up. With a fleet of these . You know,” he continued, in a confidential manner, “this 1,750,000 people in New Zealand isn’t big enough for this business.” “What would you take for the outfit as a going concern?” “Would you go into this line?” parried the knife-grinder. “You know I am just earning a living. I couldn’t get married because it doesn’t pay well enough. But the future isn’t bad and it’s a good independent life. “It takes years to get up a connection, you know. Fve got plenty of customers, but they are so scattered. It takes too long to get round them.” And Mr. A. Tychesen, the bicycle knife-grinder, clipped expertly with a pair of shears to test the result of his ministrations. The Club of Queen Crafts might well admit him.