Hi Kelsey, BSSM doesn't have a lot on T Sheldon and Son, but it does have them being in business from 1837 to 1864 at Trafalgar Place in Sheffield. In 1841 it has them as saw, fender and busk manufacturers, although what busks are, I haven't the faintest idea. Have just looked it up on Google, it is a metal stay or stiffening strip for a corset. And that it all there is. Is the word to the right of T Sheldon & Son, "German Steel"? Fred
Thanks for your post yes it is German steel I asume that represents a normal quality not really any thing high end. What dose the bssm stand for?
Hi, I don't fully understand all the gradations of steel referred to in saw making, but I do understand that German steel is not as good as Cast Steel, but, surprisingly, better than "Best Steel" which is towards the bottom of the pile as far as steel qualities go. BSSM is an abbreviation for British Saws and Saw Makers from c1660, a book by Simon Barley which is THE must have book if you are interested in British saws. It is not exhaustive, as new entries and variants of existing entries come up quite frequently, but it is by far the best that there is. Fred