Christopher Johnson (Sheffield) 1928

Jack Black

Jack Black

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I thought this silent film from 1928 would be of interest to fans of old Sheffield cutlery.

http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/c-j-co-cutlery

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Interesting.
Hard to believe they could be sold at a profit with so many people involved in making them, the cost of machinery, and everything else.
Tableware isn't all that expensive, then or now.
The workers must have been getting paid a piece rate, instead of a flat hourly pay.

More ladies working the lines than I expected to see.
 
afishhunter said:
Interesting.
Hard to believe they could be sold at a profit with so many people involved in making them, the cost of machinery, and everything else.
Tableware isn't all that expensive, then or now.
The workers must have been getting paid a piece rate, instead of a flat hourly pay.

More ladies working the lines than I expected to see.
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The workers were 'on piece work', and pay was low, one of the reasons the owners of the cutlery factories didn't bother to invest in the sort of mechanised production seen elsewhere. A huge number of Sheffield cutlers were killed in WW1, which I would think is a factor in the number of women working at Christopher Johnson's. However, a lot of the jobs, particularly in table cutlery production, such as buffing and packing, was traditionally done by women. My grandmother and great grandmother were 'Buffer Girls', like many women in the city :thumbsup:
 
Onebigbill said:
Amazing film footage Jack. Just look at how well dressed everyone was! Also, I'll bet there were many injuries that the people hade to live with whilst doing their jobs. Thanks for sharing.


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Yes, there were a lot of injuries Bill, but not as many as in Sheffield's steel works :eek: My two grandfathers were just ordinary working men, one a builder, and later a railway worker, the other a wire-weaver, but they wouldn't have dreamed of going to work without a collar and tie, and a flat-cap of course :thumbsup:
 
Interesting video, Jack! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I enjoyed watching the pocket knife cutler use the parser to cut out the inlay for the shield. Doesn’t Stan Shaw still do that the same way?

Do you know what kinds of hours these folks would have worked, Jack? Watching several of those processes, I started to think how tiring it would be to do a lot of that work for a full day. (I’m sure they got used to it, of course, doing it day after day. I doubt any of the folks in that video — men or women —had weak handshakes or soft hands!) :D

And how about the size of the mallet that guy was using in the “Hafting Scout Sheath Knives” bit?! :eek: :D
 
btb01 said:
Interesting video, Jack! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I enjoyed watching the pocket knife cutler use the parser to cut out the inlay for the shield. Doesn’t Stan Shaw still do that the same way?

Do you know what kinds of hours these folks would have worked, Jack? Watching several of those processes, I started to think how tiring it would be to do a lot of that work for a full day. (I’m sure they got used to it, of course, doing it day after day. I doubt any of the folks in that video — men or women —had weak handshakes or soft hands!) :D

And how about the size of the mallet that guy was using in the “Hafting Scout Sheath Knives” bit?! :eek: :D
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Thanks Barrett, it was nice to come across it :) There are some other old cutlery films in the same archive if you use the Search function :thumbsup:

Everyone was on piece-work, and most cutlers were effectively self-employed, so they worked fast to earn their meagre pay, and worked long hours. I know cutlers who worked seven days a week, and they weren't ever rich. After Stan Shaw finished his daily labours at Ibberson's, he used to go and work for another small firm for a few hours in the evening. He does still use a parser, only his grinding wheels are powered, for everything else he uses hand-tools. He even cuts out his steel with a hacksaw. He may be 93, but I reckon he could still do a bit of arm-wrestling! :D

The hafting of those Scout knives was one of my very parts Barrett, I enjoyed the packing too! :D It's great that this stuff was documented :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
. A huge number of Sheffield cutlers were killed in WW1, which I would think is a factor in the number of women working at Christopher Johnson's
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A very interesting piece of history, Jack. :thumbsup:
I enjoyed watching that. Neat that you have some family ties to that company. I also noticed children working to fill any labor shortage.
Like others have said, I noticed how well folks are dressed. It's odd now to see men in ties working in a "blue collar" setting like that. I also liked seeing the old tools-- how the hammers were hafted, the breast drills, the curious apparatus used to finish the opening/hole on the scissors. Very interesting.
That was real repetitive work. It reminded me of the shoe shop I worked at for a short while. Much of that was piecework as well.
 
Pinemoon said:
A very interesting piece of history, Jack. :thumbsup:
I enjoyed watching that. Neat that you have some family ties to that company. I also noticed children working to fill any labor shortage.
Like others have said, I noticed how well folks are dressed. It's odd now to see men in ties working in a "blue collar" setting like that. I also liked seeing the old tools-- how the hammers were hafted, the breast drills, the curious apparatus used to finish the opening/hole on the scissors. Very interesting.
That was real repetitive work. It reminded me of the shoe shop I worked at for a short while. Much of that was piecework as well.
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Thanks buddy, I thought so too :) I may have family ties to that company, but I'm not aware of it. Stan is a friend, but we're not related :) Those children were probably undernourished apprentices! Traditionally, cutlery apprentices started work at the relatively late age of 10! I'm not sure if the age was still the same in 1928, but my grandfather started part-time work at 5, and full-time work at 7, just a few years before that. I also noticed that burnishing tool for the scissor bows, very interesting, it looked like it had some age on it too. Most workers just did one small job, I'm not sure I'd want to hone (or 'whet') as many knives as that feller in the film undoubtedly did in a day :eek: :D :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
I may have family ties to that company, but I'm not aware of it.
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Oh, I probably misunderstood your earlier mention that a couple ladies in your family were "Buffer Girls." I guess just not there where the film was made.

Jack Black said:
Those children were probably undernourished apprentices!
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Funny!
Times were hard, I'd say :eek:
I'll have to look at some more films on that site. I love history :thumbsup:
 
Pinemoon said:
Oh, I probably misunderstood your earlier mention that a couple ladies in your family were "Buffer Girls." I guess just not there where the film was made.


Funny!
Times were hard, I'd say :eek:
I'll have to look at some more films on that site. I love history :thumbsup:
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It's possible they were, my grandmother grew up not far from Christopher Johnson's, but she worked at a lot of Sheffield cutlery and small tool firms, and I'm afraid I only know a few of them. I wish I'd paid more attention as a kid :)

btb01 said:
That‘s one of the jobs I thought looked like it’d get tiring after a while. :D He didn’t exactly look like he was going at it with a light touch! :eek:
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:D :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
Yes, there were a lot of injuries Bill, but not as many as in Sheffield's steel works :eek: My two grandfathers were just ordinary working men, one a builder, and later a railway worker, the other a wire-weaver, but they wouldn't have dreamed of going to work without a collar and tie, and a flat-cap of course :thumbsup:
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Same here Jack. My father and Grandfather(s) all were blue collar men. Coal Miner and Railroad engineer. Great Grandfather on my dad's side was a bed maker. They all showed up to work with collars and ties. Times sure have changed.
 
Onebigbill said:
Same here Jack. My father and Grandfather(s) all were blue collar men. Coal Miner and Railroad engineer. Great Grandfather on my dad's side was a bed maker. They all showed up to work with collars and ties. Times sure have changed.
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That's interesting Bill, one of my great grandfathers was a coal miner :thumbsup:
 
Jack, what a great video, thanks!!! Beyond the fascinating sequence of operations, what fun to see the people and facial expressions on some.
Tough working conditions to say the least. The gals in cleaning, boxing, and shipping seem to have had it the best.
Here is a Christopher Johnson folder with attractive jigged bone handles and pinched bolsters sitting on a trade card.

View attachment 1304576
 
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herder said:
Jack, what a great video, thanks!!! Beyond the fascination sequence of operations, what fun to see the people and facial expressions on some.
Tough working conditions to say the least. The gals in cleaning, boxing, and shipping seem to have had it the best.
Here is a Christopher Johnson folder with attractive jigged bone handles and pinched bolsters sitting on a trade card.

View attachment 1304576
Click to expand...

I'm glad you found it interesting my friend :) I guess none of those folks had ever been in a 'movie' before, it must have really been something to tell their friends. A nice glimpse into lives of ordinary folks, who will have passed long, long ago. Yeah, I reckon those were definitely the plum jobs! :D What a beautiful museum-quality find :cool: This one isn't in the same class, but the bolsters are similar :thumbsup:

pPwumMa.jpg
 
Onebigbill said:
Same here Jack. My father and Grandfather(s) all were blue collar men. Coal Miner and Railroad engineer. Great Grandfather on my dad's side was a bed maker. They all showed up to work with collars and ties. Times sure have changed.
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I've seen people at the grocery store in pajamas. I have restrained myself from saying anything to them.
 
Jack Black said:
I'm glad you found it interesting my friend :) I guess none of those folks had ever been in a 'movie' before, it must have really been something to tell their friends. A nice glimpse into lives of ordinary folks, who will have passed long, long ago. Yeah, I reckon those were definitely the plum jobs! :D What a beautiful museum-quality find :cool: This one isn't in the same class, but the bolsters are similar :thumbsup:

pPwumMa.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, it seems that most were unsure or a bit nervous, but I love the shot where a young gal broke out with a beautiful smile. That made me smile as well. :)
Another nice example from your end with those really cool pinched bolsters, such a nice touch.
 
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