Regarding the Voos anomalies:
I have file pictures of my swords, as well as one owned 6 or 7 years ago by Bill Shea, and will ask Roger to post them tomorrow. There have been some incisive comments and questions about these enigmatic sword patterns, and that is as it should be. As a collector, one has to be somewhat skeptical of unseen or oddball items. Indidentally, most of these anomalies have been purchased at modest prices, as they were either suspected as fakes, or not even noticed by the seller. I passed up my Voos dovehead and never noticed the backwards swastika, until Reichssword pointed it out to me, and I then bought it. I don't think that the seller ever noticed the anomaly. My lionhead was purchased reasonably on Ebay before the "ban".
To address FP's comments about the hilt sandcastings, which he mentioned and is obviously knowledgable about, I can only add that brass seems to cast rather well compared to aluminum. Most cast aluminum hilts lack the detail of brass castings. Aluminum has a lower melting point than copper and brass (I believe), and may have other ductile characteristics that account for the poorer detail. Maybe the cleaning and deburring operations affect the surface results as well, as aluminum is softer.
A different type of hard-packed sand would have been used with different metals too. I recall seeing some pretty hard sand mold residues at some of the steel foundries that I have been in, as the heat of the molten metal no doubt causes a metamorphosis in the used mold. Some had a hard porcellain look after being used, and what they looked like before the pouring procedure, I can't say for sure, but it was a hard cream colored sand mold that was used at that particular small parts metal foundry. I have also seen a fine grey compacted sand used at foundries that made larger steel castings. Steel, brass and aluminum would require different procedures and mold materials, in order to obtain the desired casting rusults. Others with foundry experience may be able to clarify some of this information. If I can get back into that one foundry, I'll ask the forman some particulars.
The later zinc hilt castings were made by the molten injection die molding process. It is called Zinkspritzguss in German, and the parts are also referred to as 'Feinzink' parts. This die casting process produces a very clearly detailed hilt, albeit from a less than desireable material. Germany had an abundance of Zinc at that time, primarily from the large deposits in Upper Silesia. It became a ubiquitous ersatz metal during the war. Pack & Co. also used a zinc based alloy they called "Tombak", but it appears to have been sand cast, not die cast in their sword hilts. I don't recall ever seeing a Voos sword hilt made from zinc die casting; they are either brass or annodized aluminum.
I think that anyone with a Voos factory catalog from the 1938-42 period would be a big help in clarifying some of the questions regarding different patterns and models. I would pay good money just to get a Xerox copy of a well illustrated Voos catalog. I think that Voos had a Casberg-like design artist who conceived their unique and esoteric/exotic patterns. Once you learn to recognize the Voos signature look, there is no mistaking their products, trademarks or not. Much research needs to be done on the Voos firm, and it would be terrific if such information were brought to light. Unfortunately, Anthony Carter, who I knew, never released his second volume of 'The Sword and Knifemakers of Germany' with information on the Voos firm, as he died suddenly in mid 2002. So, if anyone can shed some light on Voos swords, please do.
