The Director Nicky - Victorian Spong Knife Sharpener

Nicky is the one of the nicest and most original examples of a Victorian knife sharpeners on the market

Spong & Co in London, produced household utensils, or as they were known then ‘domestic machinery’ They grew to become market leaders, even Queen Victoria had a Spong sausage mincer!

The knife cleaning machines were very popular at the time I think this is either the ‘servants friend’ or ‘lady’s knife cleaner’ model, as they were designed to clean from 1 to 3 knives at a time. There was a larger capacity ‘non xl knife cleaner’ model that took from 3 to 10 knives at a time. All the models worked by the friction of leather pads and emery powder to clean the blades Emery is a dark granular rock used to make abrasive powder.

Nicky dates to around 1880-1890

Handle and mechanism is in good smooth working order

You can still the outline and some detailing of the manufacturers instruction label on the wood casing. 

If like me you have been doing a lot of quarantine cooking, this device is not just decorative but flipping useful. Also a very heavy so double up as a door stop.

This item is available for London collection 

Dimensions 

Height: 48cm   Width: 48cm  Depth: 36cm