Manding sword with German blade

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Just thought I would let members see a sword from my collection. Manding but with a good quality German sabre blade by F W HOLLER of Solingen. I had owned this sword for years before I realised how well it was marked. Sadly the markings are so faint that try as I may I cannot photograph them. On one side of the blade is the makers name , but on the other is a very nice scene of a native American with Iroquois type hair style shooting a mountain lion with a long rifle in a landscape bizarrely of a Palm tree and mountain.

[Iain]

Nice piece! Always been intrigued why so many of these military sabre blades show up in Manding pieces but so few show up in kaskara or takouba mounts. Even though there are enough curved takouba and kaskara to illustrate that they weren't adverse to the occasional curved blade.

Markings sound particularly intriguing, a pity they are too faint to photograph easily. One idea would be to rub a little flour or other white powder into the marks and you might be able to get a photo of the outline that way and still easily clean up afterwards. Assuming there's enough indentation in the marks.

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by Iain

Nice piece! Always been intrigued why so many of these military sabre blades show up in Manding pieces but so few show up in kaskara or takouba mounts. Even though there are enough curved takouba and kaskara to illustrate that they weren't adverse to the occasional curved blade.

Markings sound particularly intriguing, a pity they are too faint to photograph easily. One idea would be to rub a little flour or other white powder into the marks and you might be able to get a photo of the outline that way and still easily clean up afterwards. Assuming there's enough indentation in the marks.

Thanks Iain .. just tried the flour technique but sadly the markings are just too faint to be picked out . They are so clear under a hand lens that it is frustrating not to be able to photograph them !

[Iain]

Can be worth a try photographing through the hand lens. Just hold the lens right up to the front of the lens of the camera, might be able to focus still.

[Mefidk]

Unless you have already tried it you could try placing the light source obliquely to the blade. If there is any kind of depression in the pattern then some of it should come up. Works with bulb and a tripod support or a remote flash. Lines running parallel to the light are not visible, but if its drawing-like that might not matter too much. Takes a bit of messing about to get this right, but it works well when it works.
Chris

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Thanks Iain & Mefidk .. have tried your suggestions and it has produced some results albeit poor. Re the makers name. OK , its not readable but at least it is clear that it is European .