In the 21st century, throwing out a broken object is a common act. When an object is of poor quality and inexpensive, why bother repairing it? Yet, for a very long time, Quebeckers preferred to repair or transform their old objects. In this way, they managed to extend their live or even give them a second one. Give this situation, traveling repairmen never lacked for clients.

The spoon maker, also known in Quebec as a “pewter potter” was, of course, the best known of these traveling repairmen. It was towards the end of the French régime that this craftsman appeared on roads in the St. Lawrence Valley. He would visit villages once a year, at least. Those who had set aside their broken pewter spoons would then call on his services to have them transformed into shiny new spoons. In order to melt the pewter, the spoon maker would use the household pot. He was familiar with the art of heating molds, so that the molten pewter would not solidify too quickly. Once the spoons were taken out of the molds, he would have to remove the excess metal. Pewter utensils, which were very popular, were considered silverware for those of modest means. This artisan also sold various pewter objects such as crucifixes, buttons and pins.

When making knives, the grinder was the craftsman responsible for using the grindstone to shape the blade and give it its first cutting edge. The sharpener, for his part, performed the same actions to sharpen knives whose blades had been dulled. The sharpener would install his grindstone along the roadside in cities.  He would be known by the leather apron he wore to protect himself from sparks and water. When he did not use his grindstone, he would work with a simple stone and a leather belt. After completing their work, some sharpeners would pretend to pull out a hair and cut it in two in order to demonstrate the perfection of their work. Sharpeners were in less demand in the countryside since farmers could generally sharpen their sharp objects on their own.

Under the French régime, terracotta objects were commonly found in homes whereas earthenware and porcelain objects were only for the most fortunate. After the Conquest, these luxury objects were much more widespread. A special artisan was responsible for repairing these fragile objects. Carrying his tool box, he would make one tour a year. With a great deal of care, the artisan would pierce the enamel and then the terracotta.  He would join the pieces of earthenware with pins and then cover everything with a putty. He would conscientiously try to hide the traces of the repairs inside the pot and on the back of plates.  Repairing porcelain was much easier.  The artisan would use a putty made of quicklime and egg white and merely had to tie up the piece while the putty dried.

The glazier would carry sheets of glass on his back, tied to a small ladder, which he would use when installing windows. His appearance was greatly appreciated, particularly as winter approached and the settlers were more concerned about repairing their windows. Glaziers were present in the colony as of the 18th century, but not all homes had the means to purchase glass. When making repairs the glazier was able to cut the glass to size, although most often he used pre-cut panes that fit most windows.

During the time of New France, it was the most fortunate families and the religious communities that owned clocks. Two centuries later, few settlers did not have one! During the 18th century, the first clockmakers arrived in the colony and then in the 19th century, strong competition came from America clock sellers who made their way along the roads. Along with these salesmen, there were traveling clockmakers who focused specifically on maintaining and adjusting clocks. To lubricate them the clockmaker would use a special “clockmaker's oil”, made from a secret recipe, which he would apply with a goose feather. If the clock was defective, the clockmaker would sometimes suspect that the house had shifted, creating a lack of balance in the clock.

Many other objects used in homes benefited from the work of a traveling repairman. For example, the artisan who re-seated chairs was able to work with various materials when replacing worn seats and the harness repairman knew all the ins and outs of sewing leather. Our ancestors repaired a wide variety of objects but, above all, they got rid of certain things. To learn more about the traveling tradesmen who focused on recovering used materials, we invite you to come back on December 9, 2008.


Sources

LESSARD, Michel. La nouvelle encyclopédie des antiquités du Québec. Montréal, Éditions de l'Homme, 2007. 1103 pages.

POMERLEAU, Jeanne. Métiers ambulants d’autrefois. Montréal, Guérin littérature, 1990. 467 pages. 

RICHET, Pascal. L’âge du verre. [Paris], Gallimard, 2000. 159 pages.

Back