Thomas, Triebel, maybe a couple more round out the German craftsmen with a last name beginning with a "T". I'd look in the Triebel direction as in the mid to late 1800s there was a Stephan Triebel who was a Royal Weapons Inspector. There were several of these folks in and around the Suhl area but from what I can glean the majority of them worked at a state arsenal inspecting weapons applying those funky "Crowned" Gothic letters. But there wasn't an arsenal in the Suhl/Zella-Mehlis area, which was one factor that allowed the craftsmen of Suhl and Zella-Mehlis to avoid the fate of many of the gunmaking towns which was centered around an arsenal. But there were arsenal contractors in Suhl and the slight possibility exists that one aspect of their task was to inspect weaspons at the gunmaker's facility. It's sort of a broad interpretation of the scope of work of the Royal Weaspons Inspector, which some folks consider to be a stretch but I don't know what else they would have performed their job without traveling to an arsenal.
Any rate with all that typed, there may have been a 2nd generation of Triebel with the 1st name of Stephan or one of his relatives named their son after him. But I haven't found a Stephan Triebel that was a master gunsmith.
Wilhelm Kelber was of a family of tube makers and I think he was a principal in Gerbrüder Kelber. His initials are on many, many examples from Suhl.
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
