The oldest machinery used by Resian knife grinders and preserved to this day are the krösme, which are similar, in their basic structure, to the krame or krašnje (wooden boxes with compartments and straps for carrying the merchandise) used by the kramarji, but conveniently modified for the sharpening with some mechanisms that could move small abrasive grinders.  

These tools, which could also be carried on the shoulders, were completely made of wood and had only few metal parts. The mechanism was quite simple. There were two iron shafts (pivots): one for the abrasive grinder and the mule pulley, and the other for the traction pulley. The pedal transmitted the movement to the traction pulley, which in turn transmitted it to the mule pulley through a belt, and then jointly to the grinder  .

The shoulder krösme measured in average: 80 cm in length, 25 cm in width, 100 cm in height, and weighed around 1 kg when empty. On the side opposite the traction pulley there was a vertical wooden shaft which had a tank on top of it and let the water fall on the grinder to keep it damp and, at the same time, cool the object that was being sharpened. The inside, secured with a closable door, was used for personal objects and tools.  

The third census of the Reign of Italy in 1881 revealed that many Resian knife grinders did other work besides sharpening knives  , scissors  , and razors  . They worked as peddling artisans who tinplated and adjusted copper containers, and repaired umbrellas, cooking pots, and glass.

The tinkers   covered the surface of copper containers with a thin layer of tin. This was meant to prevent the metal from oxidising when it came in contact with the air. The procedure had to be repeated every time the tin film started getting thinner and the metal started oxidising.

The umbrella fixers   had the task to repair the damaged umbrellas by substituting the broken metal parts and sewing the fabric that covered them. Another thing that often risked cracking and breaking were the cooking pots, which at the time were made of terracotta and usually used near the fire to cook the food. To prevent them from getting ruined, the pottery fixers tied them with a skillful wire twine, completely wrapping them on the outside. Another activity practiced by the Resians was that of the glass peddler  , i.e. a person who substitutes broken window panes. The glass peddlers, who always carried along glass sheets of different measures, walked around the villages looking for windows to build or repair.