Knives, Forks & Spoons
Knives have been around since the dawn of man, the first being made of flint. Forks, however, are relatively new. Up until the 12th Century the done thing in polite society was to eat from your fingers, but a noble Italian lady changed all that when she introduced a two-pronged fork to her table, maybe to help with the spaghetti! The idea took Europe by storm, and before long the well-to-do went nowhere without their private knife and fork set. The Chinese and Japanese remain unimpressed and continue to use their chopsticks.
Sheffield takes its name from the River Sheaf, and became famous for making knives as early as the 14th Century. It was well placed for metalworkers, having the natural resources of coal, iron ore, and running water. By the 18th Century a clever local lad discovered the secrets of steel, while another worked out a way to plate copper with silver - and so it was that Sheffield became the cutlery capital of the World.
As well as making fine tableware, silver is also prized by the wealthy wireman as it is the best electrical conductor of all the metals. During World War II the Americans used around 15,000 tons of it to make the powerful electro-magnets needed to enrich uranium for the atomic bomb project. It is said that about 100 times more energy went into powering those magnets than was released by the A-bombs themselves!
Many of Sheffield's metalworking firms fell by the wayside during and following on from the energy crisis of the 1970's, and subsequently because of overseas competition. Only large-scale outfits and those specialising in high-end production survived. Carrs is a family firm which saw opportunity in the face of so many bankruptcies: it has spent the last thirty years mopping up the best people and equipment from liquidated firms all over Sheffield.
Knives work on the "stiletto heel" principle: by having an incredibly thin cutting edge they concentrate any small pressure exerted on the handle into an incredible matter-tearing pressure in the tiny area beneath the blade. The sharpest blades of all are made from a volcanic glass called obsidian. This can fracture to an edge only one molecule wide, and can make a blade that is 500 times sharper than the best steel!
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Production Notes
Location:
Carrs of Sheffield Ltd, Troy House, Sheffield, England.