Kevin, what did you do to protect the etch on that blade? It looks like you used some abrasives to bring the tail, tang and parts of the blade back to life. Amazing restoration...great work!
Careful hand-sanding in a progression up to 2000 grit wet/dry; followed by micro-mesh up to 12k. Very time-consuming. Gold wash is the most challenging as is very delicate. You'll lose it with any abrasive polish.
Yes, I learned the hard way about the fragility of gold wash...you, however, did a great job...it shows a lot of patience and attention to details. Well done!
Thanks! I've had plenty of practice with them —not ALL turned out. One can learn a lot from mistakes…. This other Bohler with both gold & white wash took some time and patience as well…