Cutlery mustard spoon and lettuce fork. Steel was always used for more utilitarian knives, and pewter was used for some cheaper items, especially spoons. From the nineteenth century, electroplated nickel silver (EPNS) was used as a cheaper substitute for sterling silver. In 1913, the British metallurgist Harry Brearley discovered stainless steel by chance and this metal has come to be the predominant one used in cutlery. An alternative is melchior, corrosion-resistant nickel and copper alloy, which can also sometimes contain manganese and nickel-iron. Plastic cutlery is made for disposable use, and is frequently used outdoors for camping, excursions, and barbecues for
National Cutlery Union National Cutlery Union The National Cutlery Union was a trade union representing workers involved in the manufacture of cutlery in the United Kingdom, particularly in Sheffield. The union originated in 1914 when the Table and Butcher Knife Hafters' Trade and Provident Society merged with the Table and Butcher Blade Smithers' Association, forming the Cutlery Union. This initially had 1,072 members, but the figure gradually fell, reaching only 589 members in 1938. That year, it merged with the Amalgamated Scissors Workers Trade, Sick and Funeral Society, and added "National" to its name. From the start, the union admitted women as members,