Anton Berg Eskilstuna blades

[ac445ab]

Ciao,
Some days ago I was following this auction for an Anton Berg plane iron, but I forgot to bid.

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Erik-Anton-Berg- ... NA:IT:3160

For my curiosity I wanted to know the final price. 172 US dollars! :shock:
I have a couple of these blades and I find them very good, although I did not believe they can cost so much.
The hardware store where I found them (new old stock) still should have some others. I think I'll go to take them (ca. 10 euro each). 8)

Ciao
Giuliano

 

[t8hants]

Their chisels are said to be some of the best made, so their plane blades should be of equal quality.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I know where there's a lovely Swedish No 6 corrugated plane with a Berg iron going for £60. I'm tempted.

 

[tobytools]

I know where there's a lovely Swedish No 6 corrugated plane with a Berg iron going for £60. I'm tempted.

care to enlighten me
TT

 

[Corneel]

126 euro. Are they nuts? For that kind of money I want the corners nicely polished too.
BTW, is this a laminated blade?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Their chisels are said to be some of the best made, so their plane blades should be of equal quality.

Interesting - some Eskilstuna mortice chisels came up on Ebay about 12 months ago, and as I recall went for quite a high price.

Not knowing anything about the firm, what is it about their tools that commands such respect?

 

[ac445ab]

BTW, is this a laminated blade?

I think not; the blades I have don't.

Their chisels are said to be some of the best made, so their plane blades should be of equal quality.

Interesting - some Eskilstuna mortice chisels came up on Ebay about 12 months ago, and as I recall went for quite a high price.

Not knowing anything about the firm, what is it about their tools that commands such respect?

I found this about Berg history


http://straightrazorplace.com/razors/26 ... story.html



Ciao
Giuliano

 

[t8hants]

Interesting - some Eskilstuna mortice chisels came up on Ebay about 12 months ago, and as I recall went for quite a high price.

Not knowing anything about the firm, what is it about their tools that commands such respect?

I only found out after I bought a 20mm one for 10p, it was covered in paint, but the paper label was still intact. Knowing Swedish steel is superb I thought it would be nice to get a few, so I started to looking. Thats when I found out that buying one for 10p is like finding a rolls Royce in a barn. My chisel set is now a harlequin mix.

Gareth

 

[Corneel]

I have a couple of E.A. Berg chisels. They're nice, but nothing exceptional. You can still find them cheaply overhere with a bit of luck. I think this is one of these cases where some famous Internet personallity has written a few nice words about the brand, and now the groupies are running amok.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

ac445ab and t8hants - thanks for your answers to my question.

Corneel - it sounds as if E.A.Berg made tools from materials similar to the Sheffield toolmakers (they sourced their raw iron for steelmaking from Sweden, I believe, since Swedish iron ore is very low in phosphorus and sulphur, both of which tend to embrittle iron and steel) and by similar methods, but Berg was more consistent in quality control. So Berg edge tools would be of similar quality to the best Sheffield tools, but better than the odd Sheffield duffer.

 

[Corneel]

Aha, I always thought everything from Sheffield was sublime. :mrgreen:

Maybe it is because they took quality control serious for a longer time then the average Sheffield maker? Old Dutch Nooitgedagt stuff is very nice too, but the newer ones (about 1960's and onwards) is pretty mediocre.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Aha, I always thought everything from Sheffield was sublime. :mrgreen:

Maybe it is because they took quality control serious for a longer time then the average Sheffield maker? Old Dutch Nooitgedagt stuff is very nice too, but the newer ones (about 1960's and onwards) is pretty mediocre.

Good Sheffield stuff is sublime - but you're right, sometimes Sheffield got it a bit wrong. Sheffield workmen took deep pride in their skills, and would have regarded anybody 'checking up' on them as a personal affront. So, when they had the occasional off day and turned out a batch of sub-standard work, it wasn't picked up until the final customer bought it.

Ashley Iles tells a story in his autobiography of how the edge tool firms stood or fell on the quality of their heat-treatment department. One small firm sent out a batch of soft chisels. That was their reputation ruined - the firm went bust shortly after. Some basic quality control would have saved them.

Different now - the need for QA is just taken for granted in most branches of engineering.