New saw find 10 inch steel back dovetail, G.HOPKINSON LONDON GERMAN STEEL This saw has been really well preserved,the handle is exceptional,say for a few light scratches and discoloration.How common was it for the British saw makers to use GERMAN STEEL.
Hi, If I squint hard at the maker's mark, I can see the glimmerings of a dot between German and Steel. Is this correct? In any event, there is only one Hopkinson in BSSM that has the initial "G", and this is one of the earlier "Hopkinsons" who started off in Shoreditch in 1832 and ended up in Bow in 1876. If it is a dot between German and Steel, then it is probably a saw from the very start of the company. I get confused about the term "German Steel" as I think that its meaning changes slightly with when it was used, (and who used it) but I am not so sure that Simon would agree with this. When used as an early mark, whilst it was never as good a quality as cast steel, it was probably second best to it. When used in the latter part of the 19th century, I always suppose that it means little more than rubbish steel. But as always, I stand to be corrected on this. But to answer your question directly, yes, German Steel was used quite extensively on British saws. Fred