No Bergs in Sweden

**mattocks** · 26th January 2012, 04:58 PM

We recently returned from scandinavia where we spent a great, but cold, month. We were mainly there to see our son, who has been studying in Copenhagen, for christmas. We also were able to spend some time in Stockholm and Helsinki. I had this dream of walking down some street in Stockholm and seeing a set ( pristine and in a marked box) of Berg chisels. Either tang or socket, I didn't want to seem fussy. I saw one chisel in an antique shop and didn't buy it as I could see it wasn't a Berg, it did have an interesting handle though. Anyway I found another shop in the old part of Stockholm that looked as though it would have anything you asked for. The shop was literally piled high with stuff and only a track to the back that you basically had to crab sideways down. The owner emerged from a back room and said hello. I told him I was after old swedish chisels especially Bergs or Jernbolaget. He said straight away "you're from Australia." He said that he had lived in Australia for 25 years and still had a house in Melbourne. Then He told me I wouldn't find any bergs in Sweden as they had all been sent to Australia.Well you could have knocked me down with a feather, he said that different countries bought different stuff in the antique market and Australia was one of the main places berg chisels went. So I went all the way to Sweden and couldn't buy a berg. So I went back to the antique shop and bought the chisel with the interesting handlewhich I reckoned was at least birch root. It had been used in the time honoured fashion for opening paint tins so I couldn't read the name of the maker.I figured it was only about 22 - 23 dollars and would make a good souvenir I was able today to get around to giving the blade a bit of a clean to find out the name of the maker. It turns out it's made by Goldenberg. I thought maybe it was a legendary chisel made by berg and given the name "the Golden Berg" that gives the user extraordinary ability without having to put in thousands of hours experience to achieve, but I'm afraid the answer is a bit more pedestrian but not without a funny side. It seems I went all the way to Stockholm hoping to buy a swedish chisel and ended up with a.................FRENCH one.

The logo looks like a Bumble bee which I know french knifemakers use quite a lot. This link should take you to a site that gives a bit of a history of the maker
:http://]translate.google.co.uk/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.holzwerken.de%2Fmuseum%2Fhersteller%2Fgoldenberg.phtml[/URL]
Anyway I intend to restore and use it as it should be, NOT to open paint tins, It will be good to see how it goes when I have done this and I have a nice souvenir of our visit to Sweden.

Cheers
Frank

Photos below:

**mattocks** · 26th January 2012, 05:06 PM

http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...ldenberg.phtml

second attempt at posting link
Frank

**Ian Wells** · 26th January 2012, 08:23 PM

Don't ditch the birch root handle .I know the knife makers swear by the stuff.

**ian** · 26th January 2012, 09:09 PM

great story

I read on one of the tool mail order sites that the bee emblem was bestowed by Napoleon

**truckjohn** · 3rd February 2012, 02:16 AM

If things there are anything like they are over here... then Antique shops are not good places to find old tools for using...

The places that I am most likely to find old, usable tools....
Flea markets
Garage sales and yard sales
Tool collectors that renovate and sell tools

Thanks

**mattocks** · 3rd February 2012, 06:43 PM

You're right truckjohn. It's pretty much the same here in Oz as well and I don't usually look in antique shops for tools. But I only had 4 days in Stockholm so I was hopeful that a miracle might occur. Although the shop I was talking about in the story I don't think could be classified as an antique shop. It was more like a place just filled with very random stuff and mostly just on the floor. The guy had every thing from knives, guns, soviet era military insignia and buttons to all manner of clothes and shoes plus heaps of other stuff. You could have spent quite some time in there. I said to him "do you know all of what you have" and he said he knew everything there. Must of had x-ray vision to be able to locate some of it.
Maybe if I was to get out to the country and look around a bit I could have found some but time was against me, maybe next time.
Frank

**Twisted Tenon** · 3rd February 2012, 10:27 PM

Time for a boast. $2.00 at a second hand store at Wyong

Attachment 197275 Attachment 197276

TT

**mattocks** · 3rd February 2012, 10:42 PM

You're making me cry.

Good chisels the red handled ones, I've got a couple and find them comfortable to use. The wood handled one's are generally thought to be the more desirable but the red handled ones are every bit as good IMHO.
GOOD SCORE Mr Tenon
Cheers
Frank

**Pac man** · 3rd February 2012, 10:57 PM

Are you looking for any particular sizes?

**Twisted Tenon** · 3rd February 2012, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by mattocks

You're making me cry.

Good chisels the red handled ones,

Frank, I can't believe how sharp it is. I have have never had a chisel as good as this one

.

TT

**mattocks** · 4th February 2012, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by Pac man

Are you looking for any particular sizes?

Thanks pac man, but I'm not really looking for more. Let me explain. I spent some time a while a go building up a set of chisels and decided to stick with bergs and the great aussie titans. I have done allright and have a decent collection but I have occasionally seen Bergs come up in sets in original boxes. They usually go for fairly high prices so I have not bought one. This is really what I was hoping for in sweden and I was amused that I couldn't buy even one swedish chisel there. Although I'm sure if I had more time I probably could. I must say though I have never managed to buy one for $2 as twisted tenon did. But I guess like all of us we always have our eyes out.
cheers
Frank

**sarir** · 27th February 2012, 09:43 AM

As a dealer in vintage tools I have had great luck in finding Berg Chisels. Of the ones I have sold 95%+ have shipped to Australia.

**andrewr79** · 28th February 2012, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Twisted Tenon

Frank, I can't believe how sharp it is. I have have never had a chisel as good as this one

.

TT

I've got a few of these dark red handled ones - very decent. The steel is pretty much the same quality as the older wooden handled Bergs.

**Berlin** · 28th February 2012, 10:03 PM

It may not have been what you were looking for but there is nothing wrong with old Goldenbergs.

**mattocks** · 28th February 2012, 11:43 PM

You're right Berlin. I have cleaned it up and sharpened it on a tormek grinder and not much else. It has a nice edge and I tried it out on some good aussie hardwood. I think I'll keep it close to hand for a lot of jobs.
How are things in Nantes. I was out your way in '07 when the rugby world cup was in France. I think they played a game or two in Nantes from memory. We came down through Concarneau, Carnac and stayed in Saumur a few nights. Up to Fougeres etc. Had a great two weeks driving round that area. All those beautiful chateau. Nice part of the world you're in. I suppose you see a few goldenbergs around being French chisels. I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for them.
Cheers
Frank

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