UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SA & NSKK Dagger Forum German Font Used for "Christmas" SA Daggers ?

Damast, unfortunately you are completely incorrect on the use of "fonts" in the etching of blade dedications, whether mass produced like SA, SS, NPEA or RAD, or personalised inscriptions.

If you are arguing that each inscription was not penned onto mass produced blades, you would be correct as the etching was done utilising wax templates. However, the master artwork of these mottos was first penned by a calligrapher, then used to create the wax templates. Each major manufacturer produced their own artwork, this is why there are distinct differences in motto styles between manufacturers, as each produced their own artwork, together with their maker marks/logos as applied to blades. If a standardised "font" had been used, there would be consistency of motto artwork common to all makers? this is not the case. In fact, you will note two distinct styles of SS motto just used by Eickhorn, the early style was deemed to be more traditional "Gothic", the latter more "modern", they fluctuated between both during their manufacturing period.

Another important fact is that penned mottos & inscriptions have small character differences and the way flourishes form and often integrate into the lettering. If you study lets say all the "a" and "e" "o" characters in a motto or inscription, you will see small differences in the penmanship of the calligrapher. While he tried to make each letter identical, they never are. Again, if fonts were utilised, they would be identical and uniform, they are not. You may also note that the lettering to create maker marks was also hand-drawn, even in this scenario, mechanical fonts were seldom used and the lettering often had to conform to ovals or shapes, which would be impossible using mechanical fonts as seen in books.

The early period books on German and Gothic fonts illustrated the variety of mechanical fonts available in reproduction, printing & publishing. These were sometimes used as reference for lettering artists, but certainly were not used for mottos and inscriptions.

Also, you need to appreciate the difference between mass produced blades and personalised inscriptions. The calligrapher preparing artwork for personalised blades would typically use border templates for flourishes and patterns, again per the manufacturer's house style. The inscription itself would be applied using an acid resistant "ink/wax" that would be penned directly onto the blade before final masking and etching, this is what you are observing in the classic picture to which you refer.

I'm a typographer by profession, so yes I study typefaces and forgeries. I studied typography under a German master typographer who served his apprenticeship in the Eickhorn art department. I spent some time with him again some years ago once I developed an interest in this subject, where he related some of the processes and personal experiences he had during the war, right down to a small power struggle between the head lettering artist at the time and some of his subordinates who disagreed on some of the smaller lettering details used at the time by Eickhorn, specifically in the use of Roman style numbering and punctuation versus Gothic style.

So to summarise, mechanical fonts were never used to create blade mottos, typical misinformation on forums