Thread: Etched W&B - 2 questions

I just received this chopper - it looks a LOT better in person than in the pics - and started rubbing it up with Maas and discovered light, crude etching on one side of the blade.
(I know, I know, "we need pictures " but all I have is a camera phone and it won't even come close to picking this up )
I'm guessing they're masonic symbols but I don't know much about that. There's a ladder, at least 4 asterisks, a star, something like a kettle, a mason's hammer, what look like 2 pyramids and some other stuff I can't make out yet. (haven't been googling yet but that's next - I figured you guys would be more helpful)
Most of the patina is coming off but there's a big patch of light pitting that would only come clean by sanding - which I don't think I'll do. It's a beautiful big old heavy wedge and looks like it's going to be fun to shave with.
I haven't decided what to do about the broken scale, the seller claims its buffalo horn but who knows - how do I tell if it's horn? I'm sure it's too old for bakelite and it doesn't look like wood although it's dark brown with a fine grain. If it is horn I'd like to keep the originals, but how would I go about fixing that?

heat up a pin real hot and press it to the scale somewhere and you can tell by the smell if its horn....thats all i can help with though....

if it "screams" and the smoke smells like burnt hair... its horn