Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Gebruder Weyersberg metal shears

I picked up these 10-inch metal shears for a buck at a yard sale last weekend.  Although covered in rust and dirt, they were impressively heavy in the hand and still opened.  So, into the sandblast cabinet and voila!



All forged steel, and the handles are 3/8-inch thick! A little touch up with a whet stone and tightening of the rivet, and they still cut sheet metal beautifully!



The trumpet logo and "Weyersberg" identifies them as having been made by the storied sword-making firm of Gebruder Weyersberg of Solingen, Germany, which dates back to 1787.   It became Weyersberg, Kirschbaum, and Cie. in 1883 but reverted to Gebruder Weyersberg in 1902.  Its factories were destroyed by bombing during World War II, but the firm was resurrected and now exists as WKC Stahl und Metallwaren Fabrik.  It purchased much of the sword-making tools from Wilkinson Sword when that British firm failed in 2005.  Today it makes ceremonial knives and swords and boasts that "15000 Generals, Admirals, Officers, Subofficers and Cadets get a WKC swords or dagger annually."

The same firm made one of my machetes featured in an earlier posting.

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