Semi OT: Black Hand - Sharpening - Mafia

This may be an example of inductive logic or maybe
erroneous interprelation but here goes.

I've been spending a bit of time lately sharpening
shit. If a tool has a cutting edge I've sharpened it
over the last few days. Between Scary Sharp (tm),
japanese waterstones, DMT diamond plates and
the Tormek, I now have some very shiny and very
sharp cutting tools - no fingerprints and dark
stained hands.

It's the dark hands that got me thinking - Mafia-
Black Hand - Assassins. Supposedly, the ultimate
assassin is the one who gets close enough to kill
with a knife. So I'm guessing that the knife they'd
use would be sharp and to make sure it was they'd
do their own sharpening. If one uses stones to
sharpen with, one may wear one's fingerprints
off - handy side benefit it one is an assassin. If
oil is used in the sharpening process some stays
on the hand(s), along with ground in stone grit.

Perhaps finger printless, dark stained hands were
the mark of an assassin - sort of a status symbol.
And perhaps finding a black hand print on your
door would get you to associate it with assassins
and put the fear of god in you - something the
Mafia found useful in persuading people.

(I've been doing WAY too much sharpening.)

charlie b

ps - a Hock iron for a #7 takes freakin'
forever to get the back flat.