Well I figure I should post my customizing so far. Still a ways to go, but not a bad start!
Stripped the finish but left a small portion around the logo and model laser etchings so I could etch them deeper. I tried doing a couple runs of ferric chloride but it just wasn't working fast enough, so I finished it out by making my own quick electro-chemical etcher and burning in the logo/model nice and deep.
I also decided to go ahead and stipple the stock scales. I'm going with micarta later on, so this will work for now. I looked at small stippling, large, designs, etc and finally decided on a larger stipple effect. Once done, some smoothing with 220 and 320 took down the sharpness. These things are crazy grippy now even fully wet.
For the patina I experimented with some different effects. To start, I took a cotton ball soaked in ferric chloride and wiped down the blade. This darkened up the flats and evened out the finish. After that, I went with some mustard camo splotches. Once that was clean, a swipe with 0000 steel wool and then it was wrapped with paper towels and soaked with vinegar. This was then put into the oven on 150* to really get some good color. Another swipe with steel wool and the final effect was achieved by taking the same wet paper towels and twisting them up and then laying them across the blade for an hour per side. A final oiling really brings out the depth of the patina.
Next up is a lanyard, convexing the edge and some custom made leather pants by yours truly.
