"German" Hollow Ground?

[Legion]

i'm working on a razor at the moment. On the blade are etched the words "German" Hollow ground. It's an old (1850s-1860s) Sheffield razor.

What does German hollow ground mean exactly? Anyone know? Is it a style or technique?

 

[hig789]

Never seen this before. I would assume it just means hollow ground in germany. It could also be a certain style though.

PICS! PICS! PICS!

 

[Legion]

I'm pretty sure it is made in Sheffield. It is that John Heiffor I posted somewhere else.

 

[hig789]

You got me. Unless it was made with Sheffield steel then ground in germany. But since Germany is in quotes it makes me think it is what the grind style was called.

 

[Legion]

Yeah. My best guess is that up until this point English razors were more wedge shaped, Maybe 1/4 hollow. Then the Germans managed to manufacture a more full hollow grind, and the English, trying to jump on board and get some of the action back, copied the techniques and called it "German" style to drive the point home. I'm just speculating though.

 

[Greybeard]

Interesting question.
I've also seen blades from Joseph Fenton, Joseph Rogers and Joseph Eliot (lot of Joes there) with German Hollow Ground marked on them. Many Kropp razors were marked Ground in Hamburg. I never thought about the marketing angle.
I assumed that the blanks were sent to Germany to be ground and then returned for finishing and assembly.
It might have been that there were more facilities in Germany for hollow grinding and they were more advanced with the process. It might have been economic. The trade unions in England were becoming stronger at this time and Sheffield was one of the centers for change. Strikes were also becoming more common. Germany's unions were still relatively weak and costs were lower. Before the 20th century german knives and razors were considered lower end compared to Sheffield products and cheaper.

 

[Legion]

Hard to say. The fact that a lot of the razors have the word "German" in inverted commas, kind of makes me think that it is a style of grind, rather than actually being German. Hmmm.

 

[Gamma]

I saw something similar on a razor that was made in Japan. I figured it referenced the hollow grind as being German, not that it was actually ground there.

 

[Optometrist]

I saw something similar on a razor that was made in Japan. I figured it referenced the hollow grind as being German, not that it was actually ground there.

My Scheon Burg and Aiku have it on them. Always wondered.