finish the knife then etch customers name..or?

[OkieCowboy]

Had a customer request for her boyfriends name etched in the blade.... the stencil Is several days overdue...thanks to the post office... I have delayed finishing every thing up untill I did that step....do I go ahead and finish and just tell her we add the name in later or is is placement just a pain once scales are attached like I am thinking?

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

Anytime I etch a name or anything else on a blade, its always after the knife is finished, and just before it's sharpened to go out the door. I suppose as long as the blade is completely finished, it could be done at just about any stage, I've just always done it just before I do the final sharpening......which is the very last thing I do before a knife leaves the shop.

 

[KCorn]

I have done it both ways. I am kinda partial to etching my makers mark before attaching the handle especially if it is a hand sanded piece. If I do it after attaching the handle or guard and I have to sand it a bit to remove any cloudiness from the mark it is very hard to do. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Matt de Clercq]

If your doing a hand finish it's nice to do it before the scales are put on just in case you have to make a couple more pulls to clean up the etch...to avoid any "hooks" in the finish from starting and stopping.