Hi Detlef:
I've not seen blood stains on a blade survive a good polish and etch before. Generally these are the same as rust. If you take the surface off, then the stain should not return.
Instead of fingerprints I think the marks may be "chatter" arising from grinding of the blade. If you look at the close up pictures of the brass, you can see residual lines from grinding also. A little persistent rust within the grooves on the blade would lead to a recurring pattern on re-etching. Removing more metal would likely solve the problem.
Given the sloppy work done previously along the back edge near the tip, I wonder if this was previously one of the long knives that the Spanish required Filipinos to square off the tip and "de-weaponize" in the late 19th C. When the owner wanted to make it more weapon-like, he could have ground back the original squared off end to create something more deadly. Just a thought.
Ian.
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