Thread: Berg Chisels - with imperial and metric stamp

Lyle,
You may want to have a look here.
Berg Chisel Labels – galootopia
This guy is specialized with swedish chisels.

Thanks for that link.
A quick look. I'll research h more.
They are in the clean and derust process now.
I'll clean up some dings and burrs then sharpen.
Then look at handles and end ferrules.

Photos.
These are pretty well used and abused. No idea what I'll do about the handles.
Posted up for you 'Berg' enthusiats.



Bergs as bought.jpgBergs as bought size before cleanup.jpgBergs as bought size after cleanup.jpgBergs as bought name.jpgBergs as bought name after cleanup.jpgBergs as bought handle name.jpgBergs as bought handle condition2.jpgBergs as bought handle condition1.jpgBergs as bought handle condition.jpg

Lyle

I might be able to help you out with one small handle and a 3/4" chisel that i have spare with a good handle. I will photograph them tomorrow if you are interested?

Cheers
Stewart

Lyle

I forgot to add this....

Lot of 5 Erik Anton Berg Wood Handle for Chisel.Made In SWEDEN.

Depending on how keen you are, you could get these handles from Sweden

Cheers
Stewart

Originally Posted by Lyle

But want to date them if possible. They have a imperial and metric stamp on them. Is that normal?

Yes, that is quite normal. They are from the sixties. Except the smallest one, it's an earlier logo. Notice how the tang is different too.

Thanks Stewart, photos would be good.

Thanks Thomaslaursen, (Thomas?)
I noticed the different tang and it looks like it may have been repaired/welded too? As the shank has noticeable lumps and is not 'refined' like the others.

Lyle

I reckon the three smaller handles will clean up if you put them in you lathe and sand them.

Cheers

We are fortunate to have a wide choice of suitable handle woods in Oz. Most are far more durable than Birch, while many are much more attractive, to boot!

When I inherited a bunch of Bergs (socket types, in my case), several of them were in very rough shape, one had no handle at all, and the 1/2" was missing. I discovered 1/2" socket Bergs weren't easy to come by, but thanks to the help of a generous Forumite, I was able to get hold of one, eventually. I tossed up whether to replace the missing & damaged handles with copies of the originals, but eventually decided on something a bit more eye-catching than the boring straight-grained bit of Birch I had: Socket Bergs rehandled.jpg

The Bergs are bracketed by a pair of ring-ins, an inch & an eighth Marples and a home-made 3/32". I reckon She-oak makes a much nicer (& tougher!) handle than Masur Birch .....

Cheers,

Fair call Ian

as noted in other threads I have been restoring these nice chisels back to their former glory. I see both sides of the argument and am only inclined to go with masur birch because of the decals I produced.



I agree that the birch is soft and other timber are better suited from an ascetic and functional point of view.

Cheers stew

No worries, Stew, I also see both sides of the coin. I deliberated for some time whether to go Birch or something completely different. If I'd had some figured Birch I might've gone the more 'authentic' route, but in the end it was the plain-ness of the Birch I had, plus the fact these were to be very much users, that won the day for the She-oak. It wins hands-down on both looks and durability, I reckon.

Added bonus points for the She-oak were that it came off the old family farm, & the chisels were going to my brother....

Cheers,

Ian

What Aussie timber would you recommend for mortise and registered firmer chisels? More from a functional / durable rather that ascetic point of view?

Cheers Stewart

Originally Posted by bunya pine

......What Aussie timber would you recommend for mortise and registered firmer chisels? More from a functional / durable rather that ascetic point of view?...

Stewart, Titan used Tasmanian Bluegum for their heavyweights, I would guess because a) it's tough enough, and b) they had it. Many members of the Eucalypt family are as tough or tougher, and indistinguishable from the Tassy product. You do need to watch for gum veins & other defects in Eucalypts, which don't improve the durability of handles! Spotted gum (which is now a Corymbia & not a Eucalypt) is said to be among the premium impact-resisters.

I'm not a fan of Eucalypts for handles because with a few exceptions, they tend to be rather coarse and don't finish as nicely as finer-grained woods (River Red gum is one of the exceptions, & I've had pieces of that that finished very nicely). If I have any favourites (apart from She-oak, which recommends itself to me partly because I get it free ), I tend to favour woods like the denser Acacias, which are are tough enough to withstand severe punishment, and finish to a silky surface. Then there are the rainforest woods along the East coast, many of which are good for handles. Crows Ash, to name just one, is considered excellent, and is also lovely stuff to turn.

That's just a quick list off the top of my head, there would be plenty more, & I'm sure others can suggest a few of their favourites that I haven't mentioned....

Cheers.
S