Northmount

My daughter used a permanent felt marker on formica ... I found that scrubbing it with tooth paste (the good old white stuff with some abrasive in it) removed the marker. Seems there is fairly strong bleach in it. The abrasive is very fine, so helps as well. Coarse abrasive will remove the shiny surface and pattern. Polish it like you would your best silver. Carefully, a bit at a time.

Use the tools. As others have ssaid, they are likely better than today's. I bought my first tools in 1960 when I was in grade 9. Couldn't afford the kit so had to be very selective about what I bought. I still have patterns from then, some of the same ones as in your photos. Every 10 years or so I have decided to make something and added a few tools along the way. A few years ago I was in a pawn shop and there was a tandy tool box like a fishing tackle box. It was loaded with saddle stamps, a few swivel knives and a few other odds and ends. There were about 70 stamps. Bought the whole batch for $125. Found many of the stamps are duplicates. It was probably from a school that included leatherwork in industrial arts and has now dropped it like too many schools have. Anyhow it was a good deal for me. Might run a couple mini classes for my grandkids since there are multiples of the basic tools. Now that I'm retiring in a few months, I expect to get back to more serious work. (Did 3 protfolios for my kids for Christmas 2010. Didn't know if I could get them done in time to start with, but did beat the clock.)