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A scissor grinder (German: Scherenschleifer), sometimes also scissor and knife grinder or knife and scissor grinder, for short also knife grinder, is a craftsman who sharpens and repairs blunt knives, scissors and other cutting tools. It is an apprenticeship profession that nevertheless requires much experience.
Wandering knife and scissors sharpeners, also known as itinerant sharpeners or, more antiquatedly, cart sharpeners, have existed in Europe since the Middle Ages. Traditionally, they came from a few regions of origin in northern Italy and northwestern Spain. In addition, the itinerant craft was practiced by the so-called traveling people, including Sinti and Roma, and is one of the traditional occupations of the Yenish, especially in Central and Western Europe. They moved through the towns and offered sharpening and sharpening knives and scissors. In the second half of the 20th century, the demand declined sharply and almost came to a standstill. Thus, demand increasingly diminished as cutlery was used less overall in the domestic sphere as a result of the decline in general agricultural activity and the changing supply and buying patterns of food and textiles. The main reason for the lack of demand, however, was the fall in the price of new goods due to the emergence of mass production in cutlery.
In the meantime, the profession of knife and scissors grinders is rarely practiced and is thus one of the crafts threatened with extinction. In addition, professional sharpening tools are increasingly available commercially for household and commercial use. Since the end of the 20th century, the reduced general need for re-sharpening dulled knives and scissors has been served mostly by a dwindling number of mobile small entrepreneurs, some of whom move around nationwide, as an itinerant trade, and by various stationary specialized businesses, some of which are dispatched by mail.
Meanwhile, there is still continuous demand from some industries and professional groups, such as the catering, slaughterhouses and hairdressing salons, as well as more demanding hobby chefs, who often use high-quality and usually very expensive cutting tools. In addition to the specialized trade, a number of stationary and mobile sharpening and grinding services have thus developed since the end of the 20th century, most of which offer specialized services.