Finding the correct angle of the blade and being burnt by wild sparks, it is not an easy task for a knife and scissors sharpener.

 

If you are looking to throw away your blunt knife or scissors to buy a new one because it is no longer sharp, fret not, there is an alternative solution.

 

Being a knife and scissors sharpener apprentice meant that I have to brave the sparks, turning a dull and useless blade it into a new sharp one under the mentorship of Madam Lee Hwee Chin, 68, who was the owner of Pow Li, a small shop situated on the second floor of People’s park Complex in Chinatown specialized in traditional knife and scissors sharpening, a trade that is vanishing in Singapore.

 

Practice makes perfect

 

Concerned that I would hurt myself, she insisted I wear gloves. “Be prepared for cuts and blisters,” she warned me.

 

She switched on the mechanized grindstone to give me a demonstration. Her delicate hands guided the scissor’s edge across the whirling grindstone gracefully, producing a high pitch ‘Eeeinggg’ sound. White hot sparks flew everywhere like fireworks whenever the scissors came into contact with the spinning grindstone. She dipped the scissors into a pail of murky brown water to cool the scissors down, the water sizzled with bubbles on the surface, serving as a warning for me not to touch the metal part of the scissors or risk getting burn.

 

My turn

 

I still felt unprepared as Madam Lee passed me a seven inches long blunt knife, a feeling of uncertainty washed over me. I dropped the knife accidentally as it came into contact with the grindstone on my first try, as I was not prepared for the strong fiction between the two surfaces. It was lucky I did not hurt anyone.    

​

I admired my mentor for her patience as she corrected me on the angle of the blade. I held on to the knife with an iron grip, determined to be successful the second round. This time, I got burnt from the hot sparks, leaving red angry marks on my hand. I could not imagine how Madame Lee do this every day as her job for 40 years.

​

Although she gets injured often, especially when she first picked up the skill, it was a “meaningful job” to her. She told me cheerfully: “My sense of satisfaction came from sharpening a dull and blunt knife to a sharp knife that can be used once again.”

 

Her life struggles

​

Madam Lee first picked up the sharpening skills back in 1970s. She inherited her father’s shop, Pow Li after 10 years of learning the trade. Initially she received numerous complains that her skills were not good enough, until the point she almost wanted to close the shop down. She overcame the struggle to keep the shop running by working hard to master the skills so customers would be satisfied with the end product.

 

Her customers usually consist of tailors, seamstresses and the occasional housewives. With around five customers each day, she would charge them five to twenty dollars on average, depending on how much effort is needed to sharpen the blade. “Knives and scissors that are crooked, thick and worn-out were those that are hardest to sharpen,” Madam Lee explained in ‘Heritage in Episodes’, a documentary featuring her by National Heritage Board. “Uneven edges require extra work to grind the edges even before sharpening it with the grindstone so that it will be sharp.”

 

The last few

 

Today, the traditional trade of knife and scissors sharpening is on the verge of extinction due to declining customer base and an uncertain future as many Singaporeans prefer to buy new knives and scissors when their old ones are unusable. Tailors and seamstresses, as her main customer base are also dwindling which in turn affects Madam Lee’s business. Youngsters such as Madam Lee’s daughter also has no interest in her trade, so there would no one to inherit her shop when she retires.

 

If you are looking for an alternative to your old knife or scissors, this cheap and effective way is the best solution for you. Grab the opportunity while you still can, perhaps in another few years you will not see this vanishing trade in existence anymore.