I found this saw at the local Habitat for Humanity Store. I was immediately attracted to the large 1 1/8" diameter medallion. The center of the medallion is the British Royal coat of arms surrounded by IBBOTSON PEACE & CO EAGLE WORKS. On the back side the split nut is 15/16" dia. There is a stamp on the sawplate that reads IBBOTSON PEACE & CO, LONDON SPRING, DOUBLE REFINED, WARRANTED, EAGLE WORKS. The handle looks like walnut but the lambs tongue is broken. The saw is 23 1/2" long with the tip broken off and a few teeth missing. It is still quite sharp and straight. I have seen some information about the company but have not found an image of the large ornate medallion. Does anyone else know anything about the company or the saw?
Hi, The only things that I can tell you come from HSMOB. Ibbotson Peace and Co. are recorded as being in business from 1845 to 1855 and the owners are Robert Ibbotson, Charles Peace Jnr., William Kirkby Peace and Abraham Spafford. The Eagle Works was located at 84 Russell Street, Sheffield. I am assuming that it is an export saw, if only because of the very eye-catching medallion, but supported by the base of the handle just in from the lamb's tongue mirroring the recurve break above (terminology right??). See the picture of Joe's Taylor Brothers handsaw http://www.backsaw.net/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=58&jfile=showthread.php&t=458 That must have taken more effort and therefore cost. Hence an export saw. ( I think). It is a pity about the piece missing from the handle, but the medallion is little short of monumental and deserves a jealousy icon in its own right. Fred
Thanks for the information, Fred. The stamp says "London Spring Double Refined" Does this actually mean something or is it just advertising hype? How is the steel "Double Refined"? Thanks, Tom
I think that a lot of the wording is just hype and verbiage, although "London Spring" should refer to the top quality steel. Whether it does in all cases, I am a little suspicious. Simon did refer to the concept of "Double Refined" once and whilst I cannot remember it properly it merely describes the normal smelting process of doing two melts. Hence "double". (I could be completely wrong on this though). Fred
Ibbotson Peace Both Ibbotson and Peace were Sheffield families of huge extent and complicatedness - sorting out relationships is nigh-impossible. However, on my database I have I-P as follows: IBBOTSON, PEACE & Co Eagle Works, 84 Russell Street 1845-1852 PEACES, SPAFFORD & Co Eagle Works, 84 Russell Street 1854-1856 The first of these two partnerships was of Robert Ibbotson, a saw maker, with Charles and Samuel Peace; Ibbotson lived in Brooklyn and acted as the US agent, selling Bowie knives and other steel tools and cutlery.The partnership descended to others of the Peace family, as follows: PEACE, William Kirkby & Charles 84 Russell Street 1859 Eagle Works, Harvest Lane 1862 Eagle Works, Mowbray Street 1864-1944 Also 39 Corporation Street 1909 Eagle Works, Sheffield Road, Tinsley 1954-1958 Also offices in London (from 1876) and Birmingham (from 1900). 1879: Hugh Kirkby and William Kirkby Peace, merchants and manufacturers of steel files, saws, edge tools, engineers’ tools, hammers, machine knives, patent scythes etc etc. This is indeed very likely to have been an export saw, as Fred suggests, because the Peace connection with the USA is so strong (continued in some way as Harvey Peace, well known US makers). London Spring is a definite top quality - better than mere Cast steel, and implied extra work in the steel, and in the finishing, the handle (medallion included) etc. Double refined is not so easy, but it does seem to have a reality, and I've found a 1910 quote from a couple of Sheffield metallurgists as follows: “Huntsman [the inventor of crucible steel in the 1740s] seems to have been able to make sound ingots and steel with small quantities of material other than iron and carbon by double-melting, that is, breaking up the ingots [previously cast from blister steel] and remelting themâ€. Although it might not make obvious sense to melt steel twice, I think the aim was probably to get rid of more impurities - but that's guessing from a non-metallurgist (so also on that theme, please don't take too much notice of the link in the last post to some ideas on German steel I published a few years ago - and had my head bitten off +++ by some people in Sheffield as a result). All in all a smashing saw! I have one similar, with I think an identical medallion (one of three designs of theirs I've seen so far). Editing: I did upload a pic of the medallion, but it didn't happen. Will try again.