With this image showing a phenomena seen with some of the signatures on the blades.
An etching acid deposited on a blade should eat away at the metal at a more or less uniform rate. In other words, the characters should have a reasonably uniform appearance and be the same depth (Damascus steel is a little different as the hardness of the layers varies, with the layers seen as the "grain").
This might not be a very good way to explain what I�m seeing in the image, but here goes: With the large letter �H� where the red arrow runs parallel, it looks like a freeway overpass going over a smaller road beneath it. With the green arrow showing the crossover point. The same is true for the lower case letter �L� with the large (thicker) part of the loop crossing over the thinner part. This is not uncommon with mechanical engraving. With the cutter removing/displacing metal and then cutting a new path as it crosses over a preexisting one.
And after a little acid bath which would help erase some of the evidence. Who would know how the characters were applied to the blade? FP
