Clear coat on the blade?

Anyone have experience with clear coat on razor or knife blades?

I have an old W/B "patriotic" wedge that I'd like to clean up and start using. It's got what I would describe as a "clear coat" on the markings side of the blade.

I believe I can safely clean this with maas by hand. I'm going to try a small corner first though. My thought is to get the blade cleaned and perphaps add an extra coat to protect the markings. Perhaps use jeweler's stain to accent the markings then the clear coat.

Trouble is I've no experience with putting a coating onto a blade. I don't know what this stuff is even.

Any one with clear cut experience or knowledge as to what this is and how I can duplicate it? thanks.

Glen F

Clean, degrease then mask off the area you want to apply it to. Then do one light spraying of metal lacquer. Allow it to dry, then apply a normal coat. Remove the masking once the second coat is set, tack but not cured. Presto, you have a clean, level and thin protective layer.

To do it well, it helps to have some experience with spraying. If you don't have experience spraying, mask the area and apply a brush on lacquer or clear nail polish.

This is how you do it, but personally I don't see the need to restore the protective layer. If you just keep it clean, etching will last very, very long time.