Recommendation? Touching up a blade finish and your maker's mark.

[R.C.Reichert]

How would you go about doing touch-up work or restoring the finish on a knife blade without losing the dark detail on your etched maker's mark?..if that's even possible. I find that going over a blade with the scotchbrite belt to touch up some fine scratches completely washes out the nice dark contrast in my mark.

Btw, I darken my etches with gun blue because I don't have an etching device that switches between AC and DC. Does actually etching the dark in make a difference with how well it retains the dark appearance?