Too late. The etching chemical will attack the now unprotected metal. You have to etch before stripping.
You can keep those logos from rusting with a just a little bit of care and still get your natural patina working too. In the same way it is hard to get grease out of the nooks and crannies of tools and engine parts, it can work in reverse for the nooks and crannies of the logo. Just put a little dab of lubricant like a Ballistol on the logos. Or even a light oil like 3-in-1. It won't easily get scraped or wiped away. The residue should do a nice job of keeping the rust away. Just a little oily residue can go a long way.
Quick question,is it necessary to scrape the lettering or will the etch reach the metal without issue? I've got some some ferric chloride mix with water 1:4 and I'm not sure if it'll do the job or if I'll just need to do it a couple of times. Thank you for your time
Great write up 91bravo! No telling how many folks out there have etched their blades after seeing this DIY!
Since Radio Shack is mostly out of business, what etching solution do you recommend? I would love to try this on a few of my knives.