Restoring an Antique Paper Cutter
How wonderful it is to have a sharp paper cutter that cuts paper without chewing or tearing it! We have this antique wood and iron Ingento paper cutter which had served the studio wonderfully for a number of years, but had been set aside, in disrepair for over a year. I offered to take "the baby" to Hida Tool & Hardware in Berkeley for sharpening.
Milford Brown at Hida Tool tested the sharpness (or shall I say, dullness) of the blade by cutting a single sheet of newspaper. Apparently there was a tension issue as well as a sharpness issue. It didn't even cut or tear the paper. It pushed the paper down along the base edge. Thank goodness, it's a good old paper cutter with real metal parts that makes it easy to disassemble for repair and maintenance. It took Milford 2 1/2 hours to sharpen, grind, remove rust, file a spring and reassemble. Then, the moment of truth. It cuts a single sheet of newspaper beautifully. What a delight!
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hida Tool can be found in Berkeley. You can visit their web site at http://www.hidatool.com/
Mitsuko Baum
Letterpress Apprentic
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