Retaining markings

I picked this up on ebay for not a lot, Its trademark on the blade is "KUKRI". I'd like to clean it up and don't think it will need sanding, but would metal polish alone still remove the trade mark?

http://i52.tinypic.com/212ts3c.jpg
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Also I don't think its that old but are there things to look for which would indicate its age? BTW I think the scales are plastic rather than ivory or bone and it says "FINEST SILVER STEEL FORGED AND REAL HOLLOW GROUND IN GERMANY" on the tang.

It will most likely fade it and worse case scenario pretty much remove it. You could try gently tape the etch and try to polish around it.

I'm working on a similar issue with an old Wade and Butcher. There is a very cool etch on the blade, but also rust and pitting.

I decided not to preserve the original etch. Instead, I am going to completely replace it. This will allow me to regrind the blade and remove the pitting, and still end up with with a crisp, clean etching.

I started with a high resolution photo of the blade, lit to give the etch optimal contrast. I then imported the image into Lightroom, optimized contrast again, and sent it to Photoshop. Working with a pen and tablet, I carefully traced the etch in a new layer (actually lots of layers to minimize big mistakes). Tracing was generally straightforward, but tedious. The tricky part was interpolating where corrosion had degraded the etch. I had to completely make up about 50% of the letter "W". This tracing took me about eight hours, but I'm not very skilled at drawing and I wanted it perfect.

I then sent the image to Ernie Grospitch to get a stencil made. The stencil is essentially a mini silk-screen that controls where current can pass through. I'm currently waiting for the stencil to arrive. When everything is ready, I will simply electro-chemically etch the design back onto the finished blade.

Hope this helps.

Phillip

What is involved with etching steel? Is it the same as brass or copper?

I made my etcher from an old 4.5V adapter and a q-tip. Tape one lead to the blade and the other goes to a q-tip soaked in electrolyte (salt and vinegar). Very simple, but practice on some scrap first.

Phillip

Just unpinned and used Autosol by hand then re-pinned and honed. The blade cleaned up OK, I like the old scales, I now think they are bone.

The blade took a wicked edge very quickly, just willing my beard to grow so I can shave test it!
http://i51.tinypic.com/afdopf.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/ip1lwm.jpg