I use the electro etch process. I built one of the machines that was posted on one of the websites that gives you a list of everything you buy at Radio Shack. All the components come from Radio shack but the cost is about 80 dollars, I got the stencils from a guy in Florida. Here is his sight,
Etching Stencils. The stencils were 30 dollars and then the chemicals and pads were about 80 dollars, I think everything I needed came to around 200 dollars to etch my name into the knives I make. So far I have not had any problems doing this.