Im just yanking your chain...lol
The T&T blank I scratched took me forever to get back looking god..but it was a HIGH $$$ SOB and I didnt want it to look bad...even though it turned out to be a sorry casting POS.
I did do as you suggested though on one. The area above the grip I really messed up on one...it was where I normally put my logo when I was building rods. I wrapped silver/grey thread TIGHTLY packed for about 5 inches up the blank...gave it 2 cots of finish and then installed another decal and got it right that time. It was a mess before it all got straightened out.