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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Virginia  
				
				
					Posts: 520
				 
				
				
				
				
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			Puff may be able to tell you what guild uses these markings , I think Mark or Ian have one with similar markings. A nice sword
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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		#2 | 
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			Join Date: Nov 2004 
				Location: USA 
				
				
					Posts: 1,725
				 
				
				
				
				
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			Hi John.  Well, I was having a senior moment.   
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	I thought I remembered PUFF making a comment about fullers running off the tip being a Thai element. He actually said the exact opposite.  
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		#3 | |
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Virginia  
				
				
					Posts: 520
				 
				
				
				
				
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			 Quote: 
	
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		#4 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				
				
				
					Posts: 987
				 
				
				
				
				
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			I would say Kachin, based on the almost straight blade, concave tip, and the three-part grip with the fat middle.  It looks like bone to me, too, but the way - too much grain to be ivory. 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	The basket weave on the scabbard is new to me, too. Very interesting. About the "finger-prints" (excuse my Italion, folks, just trying to be clear) - vuoi dire le rosette lungo la spina, o proprio le macchie scure sulla lama? [translation for others - "do you mean the rosettes along the spine, or the dark stains on the blade?"] I think the rosettes are just decorative, though a similar mark is used in Thailand as a maker's mark, but only because I've never seen a maker's mark placed all along the blade like that. The stains on the blade are very likely real fingerprints, or rather oxidation caused by them. All-in-all, its a really nice piece. Congratulazioni!  
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		#5 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Italia 
				
				
					Posts: 1,243
				 
				
				
				
				
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			Grazie Mark   
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	  Yes i mean the dark signs on the blade, not the decorations. Thank you very much for informations!
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		#6 | 
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			 Member 
			
			
			
				
			
			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				
				
				
					Posts: 987
				 
				
				
				
				
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			Non ce' di che!  
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	   The oil of the finger-print, if left on the blade, will cause it to oxidize faster than the rest of the steel -voila', finger-print!  I have a couple blades where you can almost see the worls of the finger-print.  So, its a good idea to wipe down a blade with alcohol or other solvent, then re-oil, every once in a while, rather than just re-oil.  I do that pretty much after every time I have to handle the blade itself.
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