Oh on the etching part of marking things. Etching metal isn't that hard. You can use a low powered 12v battery charger for a power source. I have a variable DC power supply though. You can make a crude stencil with electrical ttape. But, good ones take a real stencil. You can make your own with the right equipment, but this guy
Knifemaker Logo
will custom make you a great stencil.
Tape it on the surface flat and smooth, then you connect the positive side of the power source to the piece and the negative side to your etch pad. I use a nylon one that has a copper plate fixed to it covered with felt, but some guys just hook the negative clamp to a the pad on a Qtip. The Qtip is slightly wet with etching solution. I started out using salt water, but you get better results with regular etching solution available here.
Etching Supplies - Etching & Engraving - Knife Making Tools. Any way slowly wipe the wetted pad across the stencil for about 30 seconds and it will remove the metal from the stencils open areas. Practice on a couple pieces of practice metal to get experience and find the depth you want.
Here is my etched mark on a custom knife