Post Your Pictures: Swedish Steel

[honed]

A few more of mine. There remains a lovely little Hellburg I have to find.

Erik Anton Berg 5/8​

But Professor!
Why have I never seen that Berg in your SOTD!
It's my favorite model of framebacks & it's a thumbnotched E.A Berg, you don't see those every day for sure!
Most of the Berg "real" framebacks were without thumbnotch.
Great stuff!

 

[professorchaos]

It dropped out of rotation when the edge got dull . I'll be honing it shortly thanks to your encouragement.

 

[Oglethorpe]

3 nice dudes you have there!
How is the SSA treating you?

I like it a lot. The quarter grind and 6/8 blade are a pleasure to work with. It's almost like a french-pointed Hart Steel, for lack of a better comparison.

 

[honed]

It dropped out of rotation when the edge got dull . I'll be honing it shortly thanks to your encouragement.

You'd better or I'll come over & start using it myself

When you do hone it, just imagine the little lady honing it the very first time it was leaving the forge.
There is an incredible story in a book about the Eskilstuna steel industry about Erik Anton Berg & how he started his own forge in 1887 at the tender age of 23.
But he had already been at it for 10 years, since he was 13 when he started as an apprentice at Heljestrands forge.
He & his wife borrowed some money from her parents & set up the forge.
The budget was very tight & he did most of the work himself.
He taught his wife how to hone so she also could help out.
Eventually she got very, very good at it (no wonder if you hone for 10 hours a day )& E.A Bergs razors quickly gained a good reputation & soon they could hire more people.
But Mrs Berg could not let go of the honing.
She put the final edge on each & every razor leaving the forge up until the turn of the centry!
And since I'd date yours to around 1890's, Mrs Berg did hone it initially
I just love that with old Bergs!

I like it a lot. The quarter grind and 6/8 blade are a pleasure to work with. It's almost like a french-pointed Hart Steel, for lack of a better comparison.

It has a rather unusual grind for a Swede.
I found a tarnished old SSA blade a while ago, without scales.
It cleaned up very nice, has almost no honewear & now it is just awaiting some new shoes..
I think it will be my next project, I'm very interested in trying it out!
Here it is, together with 2 framebacks, one Söderén & one Jernbolaget.

The Jernbolaget has the same steel as the Professors Berg by the way. "Fagersta Martin"
Martin-steel was a pretty new invention around the late 1800's. And the steel was from Fagersta mine, a bit north of Eskilstuna.
And they were proud to put it on the spine.
Just like they put "Bessemer" on straights from the 1870's when that method was new.

 

[professorchaos]

You'd better or I'll come over & start using it myself

When you do hone it, just imagine the little lady honing it the very first time it was leaving the forge.
There is an incredible story in a book about the Eskilstuna steel industry about Erik Anton Berg & how he started his own forge in 1887 at the tender age of 23.
But he had already been at it for 10 years, since he was 13 when he started as an apprentice at Heljestrands forge.
He & his wife borrowed some money from her parents & set up the forge.
The budget was very tight & he did most of the work himself.
He taught his wife how to hone so she also could help out.
Eventually she got very, very good at it (no wonder if you hone for 10 hours a day )& E.A Bergs razors quickly gained a good reputation & soon they could hire more people.
But Mrs Berg could not let go of the honing.
She put the final edge on each & every razor leaving the forge up until the turn of the centry!
And since I'd date yours to around 1890's, Mrs Berg did hone it initially
I just love that with old Bergs!

If I don't start using it, I'll send it to you.

That is a great story. Had they known then that their work would be widely coveted...

 

[honed]

If I don't start using it, I'll send it to you.

That is a great story. Had they known then that their work would be widely coveted...

You know, deep down I'm really a senstive, caring guy. So if an orphan would show up at my door I'd have no choice but to let him in & make room for him in the den

 

[professorchaos]

Jens, I knew it! You are a sensitive, caring guy ... you big softy.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Here's my new 6/8 Heljestrand MK42 recently purchased from Telly.
These are his pics.

 

[thanks]

Finally tweaked my Mk 6 to a wicked edge with a unicot on my small La Petite Blanche. Set the bevel on the yellow side, sharpened/refined on the BBW, then created the secondary bevel with tape back on the yellow. So smooth and sharp, it's definitely one of the best shavers I've ever used. I dislike tape, but this provided my best results by far. I want more Heljestrands now!

 

[global_dev]

Here's another Joh. Engstrom frameback that I have but it's in its original state. I haven't honed this one up yet but I think I'll do it tonight. I'm going to keep this one because it's my last Swedish razor.

i also have a similar model but my blade seems much smaller. how large a blade is yours?

 

[bambos]

Here's my new 6/8 Heljestrand MK42 recently purchased from Telly.
These are his pics.

I will love to get an 6/8 Heljestrand MK42 or the 7/8 version of it
I got an Heljestrand MK31 and I really enjoy using it, but I do prefer the bigger blades 6/8 to 8/8.

 

[honed]

Jens, I knew it! You are a sensitive, caring guy ... you big softy.

I tried hard to find a pic on my hard drives of myself looking like a real tough guy to rpove you wrong. But all I could find was myslf cuddling with puppies, dogs & helping my wife to hang curtains

Here's my new 6/8 Heljestrand MK42 recently purchased from Telly.
These are his pics.

Beautiful
Unfortunately I see clearly that they were illegally exported. Please send them back to Sweden ASAP. PM me for details

Finally tweaked my Mk 6 to a wicked edge with a unicot on my small La Petite Blanche. Set the bevel on the yellow side, sharpened/refined on the BBW, then created the secondary bevel with tape back on the yellow. So smooth and sharp, it's definitely one of the best shavers I've ever used. I dislike tape, but this provided my best results by far. I want more Heljestrands now!

Great
But you know what, the MK#6 is the epitome, the Holy Graal.

I will love to get an 6/8 Heljestrand MK42 or the 7/8 version of it
I got an Heljestrand MK31 and I really enjoy using it, but I do prefer the bigger blades 6/8 to 8/8.

See above for directions!

 

[honed]

There was one Swedish distributor that didn't resided in Eskilstuna.
"Borlänge Maskinaffär"
Borlänge is a town in the more Northen parts.
"Maskinaffär" is basically "Machine shop"
They made & sold lots of things but specialized in bicycles.
But they also had a line of straights.
However, all of their straights were stamped with "Bengall" & I have had a few passing thru my hands & they do shave like a Sheffield blade.
Absolutely nothing wrong with them, just not Swedish steel.
Still I think that they deserve a mentioning here, since you run in to them every know&then over here.

Here is a link to an old advertising pamphlet preserved & digitalized by the Royal Library:
http://www.kb.se/Ot/LIBRIS_ot/Aff_tryck1900-20/4o/B/Borlange/Borlange.htm

 

[rambus007]

i also have a similar model but my blade seems much smaller. how large a blade is yours?

The two Swedish framebacks that I've owned are
Joh. Engstrom Ekilstuna - 11/16" (sold to another B&B member)

and the heavier frameback is also

Johan Engstrom Ekilstuna 13/16" near the toe and 6/8" near the heel.

 

[rambus007]

I'm not sure if this would qualify as Swedish Steel but I picked this up a couple of weeks ago and thought I would share it. It's a Le Coultre Frameback made in Sentier, Switzerland. The wording is French and I know Switzerland is not Sweden but we don't have a similar thread for Swiss razors so here you go. It measures 15/16" and the scales are horn I believe (or perhaps ebony) not sure.

 

[honed]

I'm not sure if this would qualify as Swedish Steel but I picked this up a couple of weeks ago and thought I would share it. It's a Le Coultre Frameback made in Sentier, Switzerland. The wording is French and I know Switzerland is not Sweden but we don't have a similar thread for Swiss razors so here you go. It measures 15/16" and the scales are horn I believe (or perhaps ebony) not sure.

That's a nice looking razor!

And as you seem to know the difference between Sweden & Switzerland, all is fine

If some of you are still in doubt, do check:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/154802/differences_between_switzerland_and.html?cat=16

or:

http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/

 

[Muscles]

A few more of mine. There remains a lovely little Hellburg I have to find.

C.V. Heljestrand MK No 32



Erik Anton Berg 5/8


​

Both beautiful razors, do want...

 

[johnmrson]

Gee, I almost forgot I had this one.

A nice Heljestrand faux frameback in elephant ivory scales.

 

[honed]

Gee, I almost forgot I had this one.

A nice Heljestrand faux frameback in elephant ivory scales.

That is a lovely, lovely razor

 

[dancraig]

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