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Hi all leather tool freaks, I was lucky to buy a lot of old Saddlery tools from a closed down Norwegian saddlery, Henriksen & Jensen Skien Norway (Etbl. Early 1800 and closed down 1992). I bought them from the son of one of the partners. He showed a lot of dokumentation, diplomas (several best Saddlery in show, working drawings on everything from furniture to saddles/harness) . I did not have the heart to try talking him in to sell the dokumentations, it was hard a enough selling his father's tools. However he promised me to give me copies of the historical documents. This is the first time I have ever found any history on old Norwegian saddleries. I'm very excited with it, because I was afraid everything was lost. I bought a wooden tool box full of mostly old French leather tools, among other: two ploughs (modern type Blanchard 20 cm and older 10 cm), lovely stag handled circle cutters, Blanchard scratch compass and all kinds of tools a saddler needs. There was two nice round knifes in the box I never have seen the like of before. A 5,5 and a 6 inch that looks to be of French pattern but perhaps made in Swiss or Germany. That's just a guess based on ferulle and handle materials, they could very well be made in France or Spain (or anywhere else in Scandinavia or western European main land). What is unusual (but very wisely done), the blade tang goes right true the handle and are latched in the end (or what's the right English term for it is, please see pic). Just the same way we make ordenary hunting and decorative knifes (knife of silver worn with old national costume) here in Norway. I have filled the handles and ferrules with epoxi and are ready to clean them up, blades looks very good and have pretty hard steel. Have anybody here seen these maker stamps before, looks to be "cocks on grass bottom" with some letters above, perhaps " H F" . Later I will post documentation and pictures in the Historical forum and perhaps here. Thank you, Tor

heres the first impression (literally !) of my new Maker Stamp..... really pleased with the final product - if anyones interested, i got it from LWLeathers.com (via Etsy). Its a solid Brass stamp so will last for years