I went to my storage unit last week to pick some things up and there was this family cleaning out their unit. When coming down on the elevator I noticed this item and asked them about it. They said they had purchased it at a garage sale years ago for $100. The owner told me that it was a knife sharpener but actually its a “knife cleaner”: Apparently before the use of stainless steel to make knifes cleaning table and carving was quite a chore, especially for servants in upper class homes in England.
“1895 Spong and Co were still manufacturing the ‘Original Sausage and General Mincing Machine’, plus a further four mincing machines that had been developed over the intervening years. Two coffee and/or spice mills were also developed. Knife cleaning machines included, the ‘Non-XL Knife Cleaners’, cleaning between three and ten knives at a time made as a table top or free standing machine, and the ‘Servants Friend’ and ‘Lady’s Knife Cleaner’ that cleaned between one and three knives at a time - both used the friction of leather pads and emery powder to clean the knife blades.” made by Spong and Company of London
There was also another company in England making this device which appears to have an older claim to its invention:
“…it was use to clean knifes back in the day before they were stainless steel. …made by George Kent of High Holborn, London. Knives are placed in the slots at the top of the rotary oak box. Inside are roller sharpeners, and felt buffers and bristles which clean and polish both sides of the knife at the same time. An abrasive powder is poured through the chute. The rotary action constantly raises the polishing powder from the supply chute.” for more pictures from Kent click here
Her are the un-blurred, original pictures:
 | The ‘slots’ and ‘guides’ to the left and top [3 total] is were the knifes were inserted  The crank was then turned to clean the knifes. |
 |  |
Highly unlikely that anyone's old enough to have seen one of these in action before, but maybe one of my ‘elder’ cousins may have.
It was invented circa 1895 or earlier but eventually became obsolete. There were at least two companies making this device in 1895.
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