IPOH: While blunt scissors, knives and shaving blades are easily replaced, Tham Weng Kin still believes there is value in giving them a fresh edge.
For more than half a century, the 73-year-old has made a living sharpening blades and tools from a small corner of a shop here, working hard to keep a fading trade alive.
Although he considers the trade a sunset industry, Tham has no plans to put down his sharpening tools anytime soon.
“I don’t think there are many others like me left now. I am aware that we cannot keep up with the times, but I will continue for as long as I can,” he said.
Tham said the rise of online shopping and availability of cheap replacements had affected his business.
“But I hate sitting idly at home. Having some business is better than none.
“On a good week, I could earn up to thousands of ringgit, and significantly less when there are fewer customers,” he added.
Tham learnt the trade from his late father, Hee Ying, when he was 15.
Despite the decline in demand, he remains grateful to have regular customers from around the country, particularly barbers who need their shaving blades sharpened.
“I have one barber from Johor who sends his blades over by courier.
“After I sharpen them, I send them back, and payment is made by bank transfer. I also used to have another customer from Sabah,” he said.
Some Ipoh-born hairstylists working in Singapore also seek him out whenever they return home, he added.
Tham said his services remained in demand because some professional-grade tools could be expensive to replace.
“Once sharpened, the tools can last for several months, depending on how they are used,” he said.
He said tailors and restaurants now rarely sent their tools to him, with many choosing to sharpen them themselves.
Tham’s son, who runs a pub business, regularly drops by to help at the shop.
“He has told me that he will continue the business when I am no longer able to,” Tham said.
When met at the shop, housewife Cecilia Teh said she first learnt about Tham’s services several years ago, when she needed a pair of tailor’s scissors sharpened.
