Brightening/Cleaning Lettering on Stamps

[diyguy]

I bought this razor off the bay a while back – not sure why, exactly, other than that I wanted to try a Greaves and it was cheap. Unfortunately, the razor arrived in worse condition than I expected. I can live with the pitting and overall condition so long as I can salvage a decent working edge – a challenge I’m willing to take on. But removing pits and honing this guy is not why I’m posting.

REASON FOR POST: The patina is the darkest I’ve ever seen on a razor (or knife for that matter). The razor is almost black - yes, the razor really is as dark as it looks in the photos. I originally thought I’d try to remove the patina, but it’s so extensive that I’m considering keeping the patina to avoid the effort of removing it all (and, frankly, because the patina has grown on me a bit). I do, however, wish I could read the stamp better.

SPECIFIC QUESTION: Is there a way to clean and/or brighten the lettering on the stamp without disturbing the overall patina?

Thanks a million!

Brian