Translation

[Nicholas]

I’m looking for help with a translation carved into a release button. 

[Bugyotsuji]

At certain angles the second one looks like -yasu.

安

 

矩安…(?)

[Nicholas]

Thanks Piers, the second one does look similar to yasu. I played with the filters to hopefully make it clearer.

[Bugyotsuji]

There is a Chinese word 制安, but since I do not have my Chinese dictionaries with me, I am not sure what it means.　 (Safety?) 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Have seen a surname placed there before if that helps the matter Piers. 

[Bugyotsuji]

John, thanks, yes, the idea of a name was foremost in my mind, and the second character kept open that possibility, but no combination with that badly-scratched first character gave me a likely name. In my gut I feel the first is 制, with the bottom left 巾 'balloon' part stretched too far to the right (slip of the nail?), and two upright 'blade' strokes becoming a circular flourish. I would be happy for someone to step in and point out something else.

 

If not a name, then an alternative of a description or designation presented itself, i.e. 'safety catch' or 'safety mechanism'.

 

Unfortunately I cannot be sure of anything without more input on that first kanji. 

[SteveM]

My impression was that the whole thing was the single kanji 製 (manufacture), scrawled on the tiny real estate of that locking clip. The wayward strokes are just the slip of the utensil used to do the scratching. No idea of the significance, but feels unlikely (to me) that it would be a name.