Burys & Co. chisel

[GLFaria]

Hello

I inherited from my grandfather a 1" firmer carrying the mark Burys &Co. I have reasons to be sure it dates from before 1950, but don't know how much before that.

The handle has a no. 3 stamped on it, I suppose this has to do with some sort of classing system (by size, type or whatever), but I could find no usual numbering system for flat chisels, only for for gauges and woodcarving tools.
The handle is cracked, so I don't dare hammering it (should I say "malleting"?...) - which, for the kinds of work I use it to, isn't really a problem.
Pretty hard steel it seems.

Search as I might, I could only find a company by the name Burys & Co., from Regent Works, Sheffield, which seems to have been active from 1850 to 1919. Their original production seems to have been files, but later they manufactured also edge tools. However, none of their trademarks that I could find appears on this chisel. The only mark it carries is the inscription shown in the picture below, which was probably made during the forging process.

Does anyone know if there was any other chisel maker by the name Burys & Co., or was this probably the same? And if it was the same, why the uncommon (or so it seems to me) trademark? What might the meaning of the no. 3 be?

Should I try repairing the handle, or would that be sacrilege? As far as I am concerned, it is a working chisel, but not for hard work in its present state. If I am to repair it, what would the best method to use? The crack is quite thin, and I am afraid that trying to insert a wedge would only widen it. Or, woulld it be best if I leave it as it is?

Thanks

 

[tobytools]

Stunning chisel,
The damage dosent seem to be that bad, I'd just use chisel as intended, when it becomes unsafe or unusable id then reassess the situation and go from there.
I have a wooden plane with an iron by burys &co, very good tool steel.

Hope this helps
TT

 

[swb58]

I wouldn't worry about using it.
The ferrule is still secure, stopping the crack widening and generally doing what a ferrule is supposed to do. It looks like the tang extends above the end of crack so that seems safe enough.

If it was your grandfather's, you won't be giving it a hard life anyway.

 

[Trafalgar]

Fill the crack with superglue in several applications until it won't hold any more. Wait three days after the last application and then invert the handle in Watco Danish Oil or a similar product (something with a touch of varnish resin but not very much) and let the entire wooden handle take a big drink - a few days ought to do it. Wipe thoroughly and buff. Soak the handle in the oil once a year or so for as long as you own it.

If you choose not to use the glue then just let the handle soak up the oil it will, through the crack and the all the rest of the handle.

 

[bugbear]

I don't recall seeing that kind of "positive" stamp on metal before; I've seen it on older (wooden) planes, but not metal.

BugBear

 

[JohnPW]

I have a Moulson Brothers gouge with that type of stamp but I would say that type is not common.

 

[DTR]

I have a Moulson Brothers gouge with that type of stamp but I would say that type is not common.

For what it's worth, I have a drawknife with a similar stamp:

 

[GLFaria]

Fill the crack with superglue in several applications until it won't hold any more. Wait three days after the last application and then invert the handle in Watco Danish Oil or a similar product (something with a touch of varnish resin but not very much) and let the entire wooden handle take a big drink - a few days ought to do it. Wipe thoroughly and buff. Soak the handle in the oil once a year or so for as long as you own it.

If you choose not to use the glue then just let the handle soak up the oil it will, through the crack and the all the rest of the handle.

Thank you.

I don't mind using the glue; although superglue is not gap-filling it will probably do with several applications and it is easier to use and less messy than epoxy.

The handle seems to have had some kind of finish - looks like an oil finish, but I can't be sure, as it is so dry. Should I slightly sandpaper it?
That idea of a "big drink" puzzles me a bit. I am more used to doing oil treatments by steps to let the oil oxidise between steps. I read about the old practice of dipping rifle stocks in hot linseed oil for a couple of hours, but not for days on a row, and then wiping and letting them "dry". Is this "big drink" you suggest also a standadrd practice? And shoul I leave the oil to oxidise for some days before finishing?

 

[DuncanA]

Regarding the number 3 on the handle, it could possibly be just for keeping track of it in a classroom or similar. I have a lot of tools from my grandpa who taught woodworking at college and many of the chisels and planes which he brought home (legitimately, I think - I believe the college/department shut down) are either stamped with numbers or marked with paint to try and keep things accounted for.

 

[Hockey Dad]

I was cleaning out our summer cottage's garden shed today, and took a closer look at a wood plane which my wife's grandfather had owned, googled it and came to this thread.

Hello everyone, by the way!

It's marked 'Bury's & co' on the large blade, with a Sheffield lion, 'Bury's & co. Sheffield' on the smaller blade.

There's an empty rectangular hole at the front of the plane, which held a front handle I suppose.

A beautiful tool.

 

[MIGNAL]

That Plane looks like it might have a bit of class.

 

[bugbear]

That Plane looks like it might have a bit of class.

Look North European to me; look at the wedge.

BugBear

 

[whiskywill]

Look North European to me; look at the wedge.

BugBear

From Norway, perhaps?

 

[bugbear]

Look North European to me; look at the wedge.

BugBear

From Norway, perhaps?

To state the obvious, the blade wasn't from Norway, so it's
not inevitable the plane was made there either.

It looks a bit Dutch to me, but my knowledge of continental plane
styles, varying by country and period, is limited.

BugBear

 

[Biliphuster]

There's an empty rectangular hole at the front of the plane, which held a front handle I suppose.

This was most likely for a strike button, a protuberance made of a hard wood designed to be struck in order to retract or loosen the blade.

Gorgeous plane by the way, what a handle.

 

[Hockey Dad]

Thanks for your kind remarks!

Bugbear, your comment jarred my assumption that the plane came from England, so I searched on Bury's along with the Norwegian word for plane (høvel) and soon found photographs of some other "long planes/langhøvel" in Norwegian museums, with a few looking similar but none quite as fancy.

Biliphuster, a strike button it must have been, the square (not rectangular) hole for it has some remnants of glue, it is too shallow to have been for a handle.

I also found a Norwegian page with detailed instructions on cleaning and restoring the finish, after its having spent 40 years collecting dust - so I think I might shine it up, and watch some videos to understand how it was used.